Teen Titans - Additional Member
by Sara36913
Summary: When a new girl on the block peaks the Titans' interests, they add her to the team. Upon her addition to the Teen Titans, nothing but trouble and an unsolvable mysteries follows, leaving everyone guessing. Along with an endless mystery and a very problematic character, fluffy BBRae, RobStar, and Flinx moments add some very-needed romance to the otherwise serious plotline.
1. Stormy Night

_One stormy night, deep within Jump City…_

Thunder boomed and lightning struck outside of the Teen Titans' Tower as the five friends huddled next to each other on the living room couch. They were watching a horror movie when the storm outside added to the dramatic-ness of a death on screen.

"Eek!"

Beast Boy jumped in fear when a scythe's blade wedged itself into the main heroine's back. His transformation from boy to mouse scared Starfire in the process, and she jumped further into Robin's shaking arms. Though no one was as unfazed as Raven; She was reading throughout the movie and only looked up on occasion.

When the movie finally met its end, Cyborg got up from the couch to turn on the living room lights.

When the lights flickered on, he said, "Ok, I don't know about you guys, but that. Was. Awesome!" He jumped happily in the air as he didn't bother hiding his emotions.

"I know right!?" Beast Boy joined his friend in celebrating. "Remember the part where that dude couldn't get to his house keys on time and he got mauled by the zombies!?"

"Uh, yeah. It was only the best part!"

Starfire stood up and walked towards them. "I too enjoyed the splattering of his internal fluids."

Robin stood up and told everyone, "Well, I think it's time we all head for our rooms. We've got a long day ahead of us."

"We do?" Beast Boy asked questioningly.

"Yeah, remember?" Robin walked next to his teammates. "The mayor wanted us to go to one of his press conferences."

"Please, inform me friend Robin," Starfire asked, "What is the purpose of us gathering in the town?"

He shrugged, "Well, it just helps ease the citizens of Jump to know what we do."

Beast Boy turned to Robin and said, "Forget 'what we do'. The people just want dirt on us - especially you two." He pointed at Robin and Star.

Robin tugged on the part of his cape that hung around his neck and his cheeks slightly reddened.

Starfire shook her head. "I still do not understand the concept of dirtying us."

"No," Beast Boy said, shaking his head, "It means they want to know about what your relationship is."

Starfire tilted her head. "We are teammates, are we not?"

Trying to weasel out of the conversation, Robin pushed Beast Boy away and told everyone, "Time for bed!"

The Titans groaned and slugged towards their rooms.

"…?"

Just before he left, Beast Boy glanced back to the couch and saw Raven sleeping, with her book laid across her stomach. He walked over to her and stopped when he reached the couch.

"…"

He stared at her and thought to himself, " _She looks so peaceful…"_ He leaned closer to her before yelling, "WAKE UP!" in her ear.

His shout startled her and her eyes snapped open. In a matter of seconds, Beast Boy was across the room being held up against the wall by a black aura. Even though he squirmed, he couldn't get himself free of the hold that held him up.

As her eyes regained focus, and the fuzzy green blob on the wall turned into her fellow teammate, she yelled at him, "Beast Boy!"

He asked her - still struggling, "What'd you do that for!?"

"Me?! What about you!" She let him free and he fell to the floor. "You're the one who **yelled in my ear**!"

"I was just tryin' to wake you up," he said as he walked towards her, rubbing his head.

She grabbed her book and started walking to her room. "I didn't ask to be woken up."

"Well I thought it would be the better solution of the two," Beast Boy retorted.

"What other solution?!" Raven yelled as she spun around to face him.

"Carrying you to your room!"

"…"

"…"

The two stared at each other for a while; Raven in shock, and Beast Boy sternly searching her eyes. For what? - she couldn't tell.

A loud ringing interrupted their thoughts and red lights filled the Tower.

Everyone scrambled to the monitor as Robin saw a large 'H' in the middle of the map.

"It's the Hive." He said lowly, "They've been spotted near the new jewelry store downtown."

"At 11:00 at night?" Cyborg asked annoyed.

"Apparently evil never sleeps," Robin put on his belt and said, "Titans, go!"

* * *

In the middle of the street, five H.I.V.E. students terrorized Jump City citizens.

"Heeheeheehah."

Gizmo laughed evilly to himself as he stuffed bundles of diamonds into his backpack using his four metallic legs whilst Jinx and Mammoth gathered as much rubies and emeralds they could and loaded them into the van.

Gizmo laughed again. "To think it'd be this easy to do whatever you want!"

"All _**I**_ want is to see you behind bars."

Gizmo whirled his head around to see Robin standing tall with his friends by his side.

"The Teen Titans. I was beginning to wonder if you'd show up!" Gizmo taunted.

Robin's brows furrowed and he yelled, "Titans, g-!"

Just as he was about to shout his famous mantra, Robin was interrupted by a whoosh of the wind and a blur to his sights.

Something flew past him and was in a straight line for Gizmo. When he focused on it, he saw it was a metal garbage dumpster. Just as it was about to make impact with Gizmo, a pink/purple wave hit it and disintegrated it on the spot.

"Hmph." Jinx had thrown one of her hex beams at it and saved her teammate's life. She smiled smugly at him and he dropped his jewels as he pulled out a remote.

"Ok minimunch, I'll give you that one." He pressed one of the buttons on the remote in his hand and rockets flew from his backpack.

Cyborg fired his sonic blaster and intercepted it before it could reach Robin.

"What are we waiting for?" he asked, "Let's go!"

They all charged into battle with the Hive, but just before they did, Robin had quickly glanced at the rooftop to a nearby building.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"

When the words spilled from her mouth, a dark essence spilled out of Raven's hands and went to wrap around Jinx. Just before it got there, though, she jumped into the air effortlessly and fired hex bolts at her. Starfire intercepted them with her starbolts and flew-tackled Jinx - who was still in the air. From the right of them, Beast Boy was in his predaraptor form and bit Mammoth's shoulder. He yelped in pain before tossing him to the ground. Beast Boy changed into an eagle and flew to him once more. From behind them, Robin was dodging rockets that all came from Gizmo's small pack. As he worked his way to him, flinging each rocket in another direction, Robin jumped and raised his staff and aimed it for Gizmo. He fell short, as he took a blow to the stomach and was sent hurling towards the Jewelry Store. See-More had blasted him with one of his eye beams. He laughed - only momentarily, because he was soon interrupted by Raven, who encased him in darkness.

After a while, the battle ended, and the Titans were victorious.

After Robin took one last glance at a rooftop, the Titans headed back to the Tower for a well-needed rest.

When the teens arrived, it was 12:46 A.M. After saying goodnight to one another, the five friends all headed to their own separate rooms, and dozed into enjoyable slumbers…

Well… All but one.

Deep within his self conscious, something ate away at Robin. Why did that garbage bin fly past him…? Who moved it…? He knew it wasn't Raven, he would've been able to tell. He couldn't describe it well, but this one had a different feel to it when it went passed him.

He thought to himself as he lay in his bed, " _Who else was there with us?"_


	2. Honorary Titan

A worrisome night had passed, a new day has come. Whatever the new day held was sure to be promising.

"Dudes!"

Beast Boy came stumbling into the den with a newspaper in his hands.

"What?" Cyborg asked as he made breakfast for the team.

"News articles struck it rich!" He pointed to the headline of the paper. "They think someone else beat us to the Hive!"

"What?" Raven's brows crinkled as she closed her book and walked over to him. She took the paper from his hands and read the headline. "'Teen Titans Aren't the Best'?" She knitted her eyebrows together at this title.

"Let me see that." Cyborg snatched the paper from her grasp and read off the summary. "'Teen Titans group of five defeated the Hive Five before they could finish robbing Jewel Fever at 11 P.M. yesterday. Or so it seemed. Witness Jenny B. Green stated; 'Before they could start, someone else already stole the glory from them.' As our reporters tried to press further, she only commented; 'The Titans did defeat the Hive Five, they just didn't start it right off the bat.' More on this breaking story as it develops.'"

"…"

Around the room, the five heroes exchanged looks with each other. Raven was the first to speak up, this topic clearly bothering her the most.

"Are they serious?" she started, "They think someone out there is better than us?"

"No," Cyborg said, upset, but more hurt than angry. "Just someone faster."

"Well, no one's faster than us!" Beast Boy argued, "Just because some hotshot thinks they can out run us doesn't mean they're-"

Robin held up his hand which told him to stop talking.

"I was thinking the same thing…" he said.

"What?"

"Come on, Rob!"

Whines echoed in the room and he yelled, "Enough!" Everyone bit their tongues and waited for him to continue. "I didn't mean this mysterious person - if it's only a person - is better than us… They just got there before us…"

Starfire titled her head and asked, "How did we not notice another being in the premises?"

Cyborg interrupted, "Before we went to the store I did a scan and no one else with powers was there - it was just us and the Hive."

"This doesn't mean the details are definite," Robin started, "It just means we have to be on guard now."

After sharing a moment of silence, everyone nodded.

Trying to lighten the mood, Beast Boy broke it.

"Man, I am hungry!" he said, flopping down on the couch. "Cy, cook me up some waffles!"

He smirked at him and turned back to the stove. "Make 'em yourself grass stain."

He sighed reluctantly and headed for the fridge.

Starfire sat down at the table, who was followed by Raven. She put down her book and asked Robin, "Isn't the press conference supposed to be today?"

"Oh, right," he said, "It's going to be held in the City's Square at noon, so dress nice."

Beast Boy asked, "Do you mean 'nice', or 'decent'?"

He sighed, "I mean, don't show up in your sweaty gym clothes."

"Will do!" he smiled and saluted.

Starfire asked Robin, "Must we wear attractive attire, or dress for casualties?"

Raven told her, "Just wear one of your clean uniforms."

"That I will arrange!" She flew to her room to prepare for the day ahead.

* * *

Once noon strolled around, the Titans were in the T-car and were headed for the City Square. It felt weird for them; mostly because they weren't racing to a mission. The car was parked in a reserved spot, closest to the City Steps that led to a podium - which was in front of a proud mayor.

"People of Jump City!" he boomed through the mic, "I give you, the Titans!"

The crowd cheered and clapped as the Titans made their way to their podium. Once they arrived, the clapping stopped, and they were instantly bombarded with questions.

"Robin! What is the news about the recent garbage dumpster?!"

"Raven! Are your powers in control since you lost them in last week's battle against Cinderblock?!"

"Cyborg! When are you going to update the Tower's system to the newest model?!"

"Ok, ok," Robin waved his hands downwards to try to quiet the crowd. "One at a time!" he said.

It wasn't until Starfire screamed, "QUIET!" did the crowd stop blabbing their need-to-be-answered questions to the Titans.

Robin cleared his throat and pointed to someone in the front. "You go first," he said.

A female reporter held up her microphone and spoke into it. "Is it true that your relationship with Starfire has come to a halt?"

"…" He stood silent for a minute before asking the crowd, "Any other questions?"

The group spewed questions again until he pointed to another reporter. He asked, "Beast Boy, how long has it been since you last made an appearance - other than battles - outside the Tower?"

"Um…" he thought, "Just now."

The reporter rephrased, "No, recently you haven't left the Tower unless you were battling. Why is that?"

"The Tower is my home. Why wouldn't I want to be there a lot?" he said questioningly.

"Thank you," the reporter bowed his head gratefully as another wave of yells came in.

Robin pointed to another, to which they asked, "Everyone, who is it that stole your thunder in last night's battle against the Hive Five?"

Robin said calmly, "We don't know. But if they're fighting with us, it doesn't matter who they are."

"Does that mean you still think of them as a threat?"

"They're helping us defeat villains, what's there to be a threat?"

Another reporter shouted from the second row, "Do you truly mean that, or is there another meaning behind that?"

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, a scream filled the air and everyone averted their attention from the Titans. They all looked down the street to see a woman pointing her finger at a horrific sight.

Down the block from where she pointed was a massive black blob. It stood ten feet tall and looked as if it was composed of tar. It ransacked nearby buildings by destroying them. It picked up cars and threw them as if they were nothing, and it covered the streets with the black goo that leaked from its body.

Immediately, Robin screamed, "Titans g-!"

Before he even _thought_ about finishing his sentence, ice swirled around the monster and coated parts of its tarry tentacles. Soon it broke free, but when it did, a figure was already circling it in the air, shooting fire from their palms.

The tar monster screamed in pain as they were burned harshly. It shot out some of its tar and hit the moving target - sending it hurtling to the ground.

The Titans sprung into action when they saw the hero go down, but to their surprise, when they got there, the ball of tar that had previously encircled the fallen hero bubbled. It grew in size, doubling - tripling - to which it soon blew up with a _whoosh_ of the wind. When the tar cleared out, the Titans saw who the hero was.

It was a girl; standing at about 5' 8''.

She had very light brown hair and bright green eyes, along with freckles that were plastered across her nose/cheek area. Her outfit consisted of a dark red shin-high lace up boots and black, fingerless gloves. The light tan colored shorts she wore went down to her lower thighs, which were now covered in chunks of tar. She wore a sleeveless, black, workout-shirt-like top that left her arms bare, and came up to her neck, which ended around her waist.

She had a scowl plastered on her face as she glared up at the tar creature.

"Ok…" She growled lowly, "No more Mr. Nice Guy."

Her arms rose to beside her waist and flames started out in her palms. She flung her arms in front of her - hands outward - as fire shot out of them, which encased the tar monster in a ball of flames. She moved her hands slowly, curling her fingers inwards, turning her palms towards each other. The ball of fire surrounding the tar monster blazed and shrunk as she moved her hands closer together. When her palms met one another, she ripped them open and the ball of fire in front of her disappeared with a gust of wind, which left behind a puddle of tar in the street.

Her scowl faded as she sighed to herself, relieved the creature was gone.

She looked around at the city and saw all eyes on her, which made her grow in worry. She laughed nervously and said, scratching the back of her head, "Tar men, am I right?"

After a moment of silence which seemed to be an eternity, a man brought his hands together and started clapping slowly. Others soon joined him, and in a moments notice, the passerbies and bystanders were clapping for her.

A smile threatened to tug at her lips, but she pushed it back down as she straightened her back. When she looked down, she said to herself, "Uck. I **know** _these_ won't come out!"

The Titans that were standing by in all the mayhem got out of their battle stances as worked their way over to her.

"That was amazing," Cyborg said.

She looked up to see them all standing in front of her.

"Yeah, that was some nice shooting," Raven said, a small smile forming on her lips.

"Nice?" Beast Boy said, "That was awesome!" he jumped in the air with a fist up.

Starfire smiled at her. "It was most impressive the way you handled the kicking of his butt!"

Robin turned to her and asked, "What's your name?"

"…" After looking at everyone, she said timidly, "Sara… Sara Andrews…"

"Well Sara Andrews, how would you like to be a Titan?" Robin asked.

"Be a… A Titan…?" she asked as she stared at the ground.

"We could use someone like you around," Cyborg said happily.

"Really…?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah!" Beast Boy smiled, "We're always looking for someone new!"

"And, you did just defeat that thing a moment back," Robin said.

Sara looked at everyone's smiling faces, and smiled herself.

"Ok…" she said.

Robin pulled out a communicator and handed it to her. When she turned it over, she saw a black 'T' on the surface. Her train of thoughts were interrupted when someone asked her a question.

"So, what do you called that thing you did back there?"

When she looked up, she saw Raven staring back at her. "Elemental Manipulation…" she said. "I can form the different elements and control them with my mind."

Starfire asked, "To which elements can you wield?"

Turning to her, Sara answered, "Well… All of them…" She thought before continuing, counting on her fingers. "You just saw me use fire, so that leaves… Water, earth, air, and electricity."

Everyone was amazed by their newfound teammate as she told stories of her adventures in the T-car.

* * *

"So I'm being held up by the throat as Spatial Path dangled me over a cliff, and let go of my throat!"

Beast Boy gasped, "Then what'd you do?"

She continued excitedly, "When I was falling I thought about how the air felt around me, and I found out I could manipulate the air particles to do whatever I wanted!"

"Anything!?"

"Anything!" she smiled widely. "I started flying and I wasn't exactly sure how. But even though I didn't know, I used it to my favor and punched out Spatial Path whilst I was flying circles around him!"

Cyborg laughed at her and said, "You know, I think you're already making a great addition to the team."

She felt happy and self-conscious at the same time, so a light blush spread across her face.

"Thanks," she said, smiling brightly.

"…"

"…?"

Beast Boy looked over at Raven, who was staring out the window. Her reflection showed in the glass and he saw how dull her eyes looked. Like she was off in her own little world when her hood hid her face.

He tapped her shoulder and whispered, "Hey, Rae."

She turned her attention to him and asked, squinting her eyes, "What?"

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

He said sheepishly, "You just seem a little distant.

"Can you blame me?" she asked blantly, "I barely have enough room to breathe with a new member."

Beast Boy noticed the agitation in her voice and squinted his own eyes at her. "I don't think you're speaking literally, here."

"…"

He turned his head away from her and left her staring at him. She turned her head again and stared out the window.

Neither talked the rest of the way home.


	3. Lovers' Quarrel

When they were all back at the Tower, Robin guided Sara down the hall, along with the others.

"Wow…!"

Sara stared at the room in awe when she stepped through the door. The walls were painted a deep blue, and the bed had red and white sheets spread on them. The only thing she brought with her was a small pack that held her clothes, a bathrobe, and some hygiene products, along with picture frames and a rolled up to-go poster.

"This is amazing!" she said.

"It's yours," Robin told her.

She spun back around and asked, "What?"

"We made you a Titan. This room is yours."

Sara's green eyes lit up when she heard him say this.

"But don't get too comfortable," he continued, "Training'll start tomorrow. After that, we'll agree on if you can _really_ become a Titan."

She nodded, still excited that she was living in the Titan's Tower.

"We'll be in the den if you need us," Cyborg said, as he motioned for the others to leave.

"I wish you the best of luck, new friend Sara!" Starfire told her, as she hugged her.

"Thanks," she breathed out before she let go of her.

Once everyone left, Sara smiled brightly again as she unloaded her backpack.

* * *

In the den, Cyborg was making lunch and talking to Starfire, whilst Robin flipped through T.V. channels. Raven was sitting on the couch reading, when she was approached by Beast Boy.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

Raven didn't look up from her book, but said, "What's there to talk about?"

Beast Boy's face turned sour and he forced her book down with his hand.

"Can you at least _listen_ to me?" he asked, annoyed.

After staring him in the eye, Raven said - her hood shading her face, "I. Have nothing. To talk. About." She moved the book from his grasp and kept reading.

"Listen!" When he growled at her, he did it a little too loudly, and he caught the attention of the others.

"What…?" Raven said, anger now plastered on her shaded face.

"What is your _deal!?"_ he asked loudly.

"I'm not selling anything," Raven retorted, being a smart alec.

"Ever since we met Sara, you've had a bug up your ass and I don't know what it is!"

Raven glared at him. "You really don't understand anything, do you?"

"What don't I get?" Beast Boy asked sarcastically.

"I. Don't. Trust. People." she growled.

"Why not!?"

"Because people that show up out of nowhere are no good!" she yelled.

Beast Boy scoffed, "We all showed up out of nowhere! Aqualad! Speedy! Cyborg! - you! We _**all**_ showed up out of nowhere!"

"Yeah, well so did Terra!" Raven yelled.

The mere mention of her name sent Beast Boy for a lapse. The anger that was on his face was now replaced with regret.

"Terra waltzed in out of nowhere and look at where that got us!" Raven said angrily.

"…"

Raven got up from her seat and said, "Excuse me for being cautious." And with that statement, she went to her room.

Robin slowly walked towards where Beast Boy stood and went to put a hand on his shoulder. "Beast Boy, you need to talk to he-"

Before he could finish and reassuringly touch Beast Boy, he swatted away his hand and said lowly, with hurt and anger in his voice, "There's nothing more to talk about."

"…"

The three of them watched him walk out of the room, heading for his own.

"…"

A pair of sad eyes watched them all from the shadows, and bowed their head.

* * *

That night, Beast Boy and Raven never left their rooms - not even for dinner. But they came out of hibernation the next day for training outside.

Robin started up the training simulator and Sara was up first.

She pulled on her fingerless gloves to make sure they were secure as the clock in front of her flashed numbers that counted down from ten. It reached one and the screen flashed green, noting she could start the course.

As she ran through the rocky terrain, stands of figures popped up from the landscape. She set fire to anything that looked evil - big guys in ski masks, anyone that held a gun or other weapon; there were even guys who held hostages.

She took _careful_ measures to avoid hitting _them._

After part one ended part two of the course began. The ground beneath her shook and rose to sky high heights, making her shake unsteadily as she tried to stay on the pillar of earth. Once it stopped, she dove off of it, plummeting forty feet, earning some gasps from the other Titans.

Just before she made impact with the ground, she made a ninety degree turn and continued flying past the rocks that shot up at her. The others faces' lit up when they found out she had everything under control.

The next part of the course was blasters. They shot at her as she flew in the air. She dodged them swiftly, and turned her back to the air she flew against to shoot fire from her palms. After she took out all of the blasters, she heard someone yell from where the others were standing.

It was Beast Boy.

"Sara! Look out!"

He was flailing his arms.

She turned back and saw a pillar of rocky earth which rapidly grew bigger and bigger in her line of vision. She gasped and braced herself for impact when -

"Zinthos!"

She was surrounded by a black light and froze a mere three inches from the pillar. Once she stopped and the dark aura dissipated, she slumped to the ground and tried to start up her lungs again.

"Sara!"

Everyone ran towards her out of worry.

Everyone, except one.

Raven was the last to arrive, and the only one to not crouch down next to her.

"I don't know what happened," she said, "I thought I had everything under control…"

Raven looked down at her as Sara looked up. Raven said sickeningly, "Under control…? You almost died."

Sara's head hung and her eyebrows knitted together out of frustration.

Raven turned her back to them and started walking away. "Training session's over - she's not ready."

Beast Boy interrupted, royally pissed off. "Now stop right there." He stood up as Raven came to a halt. "It doesn't matter if she screwed up. That's what the _**team**_ 's for. To have each other's backs."

Raven turned to him, not even trying to mask her anger.

Beast Boy said disgustedly, "Or did you forget that?"

In a matter of seconds Beast Boy was flung backwards by black force when Raven's eyes lit white. Her action barely gave him time to do a backflip and scrape a hand and feet across the dirt as he slid away from her.

Raven's face now clearly showed her fury. "Doesn't matter?" she laughed snidely. "How can we have her back when she's never had ours?"

Beast Boy got up and charged at her. With every punch he threw she deflected it with a black shield.

"Someone's gotta take the first step - why won't you take the next?!" he yelled, swinging at her.

He transformed into a tiger and went to pounce on her - but she flew up and avoided it. She asked angrily, "There's six of us, why does the last hurdle have to be me?!" as he jumped in his T-Rex form and tried to nip at her.

When Beast Boy landed again, he said, "Because you never let your guard down!" before transforming into a pterodactyl and flew at her.

She headed towards the maze of rocky pillars and said over her shoulder, "Look at where tearing down walls got you!" She blaster through one of the pillars and it started crumbling behind her.

"…!"

Attempting to stop completely, Beast Boy slid on the ground beneath him and the rubble came tumbling down at him.

"…"

Raven stopped flying and stared at the rubble from the sky.

"…"

Just before the other Titans were going to rush to the pile of dirt -

"…!"

Beast Boy's hand shot out from it and yelled to her, "I _tear down_ walls?!" He rose from the rubble and declared, "Looking at where _**building**_ walls got you!"

She clenched her teeth together and readied an energy ball, as Beast Boy got ready to take on his sasquatch form - before someone's shouts echoed throughout the grounds.

" **ENOUGH**!" they yelled.

Everyone's attention was turned to the 103 pound bag of elements.

Sara yelled again. "Fighting isn't going to fix anything!" She sighed before looking up and saying, "Raven, I don't know who this 'Terra' is, but she's definitely not me."

"…"

She held her strong composure and straightened her back before adding, "And if me being here bothers you this much… I'll be gone by morning…"

As the others complained in protest, Sara headed for the Tower, trying her best to zone out the complaints of her new friends.

The only two who didn't protest were Beast Boy and Raven. It wasn't that he wanted her gone that he ignored her statement; It was that he was too busy staring coldly at his teammate before he turned to follow her.

"…"

Raven floated back to the ground and walked behind them all, tuning out the whimpers of Starfire and the protesting of Cyborg.

* * *

When they were all back at the Tower, Sara headed straight to her room to start packing. And no matter what any of them said to her, she wouldn't listen to them.


	4. Raiding the Mall

As she meditated in her room on her bed, a knock on her door broke her from her concentration.

She opened her eyes and unlocked the door, which slid open not long after.

"Raven, I need you to listen to me."

It was Robin.

"Save it," she said, "My mind's not going to change just from your motherly advice."

He stepped into her room and crossed his arms.

"I didn't ask to change your mind."

"…"

He stared at her as she kept to herself, and he sighed loudly. "I just need you to listen to me," he said.

After staring back at him for a while, she raised her hand and a chair slid behind him. He sat down and put his elbows on his knees as he continued his story.

"I know that when all was laid bare, you never really liked Terra. You even grew suspicious of her at first - and you were right… She was bad news…"

He started to trail off and he stopped. Raven raised an eyebrow towards him and said, "… And…?"

"But that doesn't mean you're right this time, too… Sometimes… Things happen for a reason…"

After she fell silent again, Robin stood up and told her one last thing before he left.

"There's something I _**need**_ you to do, though." Robin turned on his heels and starting walking out the door, just as he said, "Make up with Beast Boy."

The door slid behind him and Raven was left alone in her room again. She pondered these thoughts just before an alarm went off and her room was illuminated by a flashing light.

* * *

"What is it?" Cyborg asked.

Robin was staring at the screen when everyone ran in the room. "The Hive Five are making another debut downtown."

"Again?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yeah; They're raiding Jump's Mall." Robin grabbed his gear and headed for the door.

A small voice rang out from behind him. "Am I going too?" she asked.

Robin quickly glanced at everyone else, and they all nodded…

"…"

For the most part.

Robin exhaled, "Fine. But stay close and don't do anything stupid."

"Got it."

* * *

Mammoth was scarfing down hamburgers in the food court, and Jinx was flinging clothes left and right in the shops as she tried to find something to her taste.

"Uck, too tacky." A yellow sundress flew towards her. "Too bright." Another article of clothing flew in her direction and she said, "Ugh - too _green!"_ She looked at Gizmo - who was stealing money from the cash register - and asked, "Who wears this much green!?"

He told her, "Aw can it! You should be raiding stores - not searching for a new outfit!"

She scoffed, "I'm raiding stores _for_ a better outfit!"

"How about a striped one?"

She turned her head to the front of the store and found all the Titans gathered there, along with a new face.

"Who's the shrimp?" Gizmo asked snarkily, yet oddly seriously.

Just as he said this, as resonating "Tch." echoed in the store.

Sara stretched her arms out wide and slammed her palms together. A gust of wind blew threw the store and knocked them both off of their feet.

"The name's Sara." she straightened her back and added, "And are you really one to talk?"

Gizmo rose from the clothing rack he was caught up in and yelled, "Mammoth! See-More! Billy!"

Just as he yelled, the three came barreling down the mall's hallway and stopped at the store. They all smiled evilly at the Titans and prepared for a fight.

The Titans did the same.

"Raven, Starfire, work on Billy. Cyborg, take down See-More. Beast Boy, go after Mammoth. Sara, get Jinx." He scrunched his face and said, "I've got Gizmo." Everyone nodded in response. His yell echoed throughout the store as he said, "Titans, go!"

A battle erupted and everyone raced to their assigned targets.

Raven and Starfire were back to back surrounded by numerous Billys.

"Heheew," he laughed, "Ain't nobody gonna stop Billy Numerous - nobody!"

In a flash, the clones ran in and tried to overtake the two. Before they could, Raven put a barrier around them and blasted away the annoying creatures. Starfire attacked from above as she shot green beams from her eyes and bolts of energy from her hands. Raven grabbed as many Billys as she could in her energy ball and closed it around them. They all disappeared and a red swirl flew back to a Billy that stood atop a cart.

She focused on him and chanted, "Azarath, Metrion, Zin-!"

When she looked back at the cart, he was gone and she only saw and angry Mammoth with an outstretched fist barreling towards her. Her eyes grew wider as she expected a blow to the face. Oddly enough, it never came.

Because Beast Boy had taken it for her.

She looked down and saw Beast Boy wrestling Mammoth in his lion form. Very quickly, Mammoth flipped their positions and Beast Boy lay flat on his back. He smirked and turned into a mouse, and crawled all over him.

Mammoth wasn't amused.

Instead, he got back at Beast Boy by grabbing him by the tail when he found him on his shoe. This time, Mammoth smirked and tried smushing him in the palms of his hands. But when his hands closed around him, Beast Boy transformed into a bee and stung him. He immediately dropped Beast Boy - who was now in his human form, smirking.

The battle between Cyborg and See-More was heated, as they both tried blasting each other with their own beams. But neither prevailed, since they both dodged each time. It wasn't until Cyborg grabbed a nearby cellphone cart and swung it at him did either land a hit. The cart slammed into See-More's side and he fell to the ground with a thud. He went to get up, but Cy slammed him back to the floor with his foot.

He held up his blaster and said, "Make one move, and you won't see again."

The trapped villain's gulp was audible, and he stopped struggling.

In another store was Robin and Gizmo, battling it out to the fullest. Today, he had on his jetpack, so he was teasing Robin whilst he flew around the store. Thinking he was invincible, Gizmo failed to notice that Robin had climbed onto one of the clothing racks and now jumped straight for him, until it was too late.

"Eep!"

He fell right into Robin's grasp, and no matter how hard he squirmed, he couldn't break free of his grip; The size difference was too much.

A flying pink and purple blur moved nimbly throughout the mall; a small black blur following hot on her tail. Jinx was jumping everywhere and anywhere nimbly whilst she shot hex beams at Sara. She dodged every one and attempted to hit her with her fireballs. Jinx did just as she and dodged every last one.

Sara was evenly matched.

A new idea struck her and she slowed to a stop as Jinx ran into the Arby's in the food court.

She flew in the opposite direction and circled the food court. She found a suitable spot to launch her crazy plan, and hid in the shadows.

Jinx popped her head over the counter - holding up the soda nozzle as she did so. When she swung her outstretched hands left and right, smiling evilly as she waited for Sara, she lowered the hose and her smile faded.

"…!"

Just as she let her guard down, Sara popped out from behind the counter and punched her square in the jaw. The mighty leader fell, and the battle was over.

"Hmph," Sara stared at Jinx - who was holding her now-bruising jaw. "You should've stuck with your current look. Black and white will _**not**_ be flattering."

The Titans gathered the Hive Five together outside and the police loaded them into the back of a steel truck.

Gizmo held onto the bars and yelled as the truck drove away. "This isn't over!"

Robin smiled at him as he left his vision and said, "It's over."

He turned to everyone and saw they were all smiling…

All… But one…

He asked, "Sara, what's wrong?"

She brightened her mood and smiled. "It's nothing; I was just lost in thought."

Robin nodded slowly, though he didn't _really_ believe her.


	5. The New Guy

It was now 2:38 A.M. and the residences of Titans' Tower were all sleeping peacefully in their rooms. It was the perfect opportunity for Sara to leave and never look back. Just as she had planned to do the night before, she gathered all of her things into her backpack and silently headed for the elevator. When she stepped foot into the den, the lights turned on and she held up her hand to shield the burning light.

A chair that was placed in the middle of the room spun around and revealed Raven sitting in it, with her arms crossed, and her right leg over her left.

"Going somewhere?" she asked.

After she stared at her for a moment, Sara's eyes flicked upwards and she turned off the lights with her powers. She only got a step further before they flicked on again.

This time Beast Boy was standing next to the light switch, leaning against the wall, with his arms crossed over his chest and his foot crossed over the other.

"We _said_ you could stay…" he said lowly, sounding hurt.

"What…?" Sara asked.

Raven got up from her seat. "He said, we agreed on letting you stay."

Sara's eyes grew wider with every second that passed. "Seriously…?"

"Seriously."

She turned her head to the kitchen at the new voice and she saw Robin sitting on the counter, with Starfire standing next to him.

"We are most serious about coexisting peacefully with you," Starfire said, smiling.

"But-"

The elevator beeped and opened. Cyborg walked out of it. "No ands, ifs, ors, whys, or buts about it." He smiled softly at her. "You're stuck with us."

A smile tugged at her lips and she turned to everyone. "Thanks!"

They all stood side by side, and Sara threw her arms around all of them. When they parted, she said, "Wait. How did you know when I was leaving?"

Robin spoke up first, "Well, after we took down the Hive, you seemed pretty depressed. So later, I asked Raven about it and she said you planned on leaving tonight. Then, I let the others know, and we all agreed we couldn't let you go."

Sara's smile returned quickly and she threw her arms around Raven. "Thanks, Raven!"

She raised her arm stiffly and patted her back awkwardly.

Sara laughed and let go of her. When she looked around the room, she saw smiling faces and a bright future ahead…

But what if she couldn't see everything…?

* * *

A week has passed since Sara's recruitment, and everyone was happily making their way back to the T-Car after a long day's work.

Beast Boy was punching the air and retelling the battle that just ended. "And then when you punched Cinderblock right between his eyes!"

Sara laughed along with him and said, "But what about when Starfire blasted him out of existence?"

"I did indeed enjoy kicking his butt," Star said, grinning brightly at everyone.

After laughing along with everyone, Sara's smile faded and her eyebrows knitted together as she slowed down and let her ears twitched unnoticably.

"…?" Robin stopped walking and turned around to look at her - along with the others. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Sara looked up to see her teammates staring worriedly back at her. She regained her smile and said reassuringly, "No, it's nothing."

"Are you sure?" Raven asked, "Because last time 'it was nothing' you tried to leave in the middle of the night."

"…"

Sara debated with herself as she looked around at everyone. She said with resolute, "This time it really was nothing. I just… I thought I heard something…"

"Woah…!" Beast Boy's eyes sparkled. "You have super hearing?!"

Sara rubbed her arm. "Well, not really. I just thought I heard someone cut through the wind."

"Cut wind?" Cyborg said questioningly.

"Yeah," Sara continued, "Like jumping from a high building, or running from something."

Robin thought for a second then asked, "Can you tell me where it came from?"

Sara put up her hands and partially waved them back and forth in front of her. "Guys, I said it was nothing. I don't even know if someone was there."

"Well," Cyborg said, "There's only one way to find out."

* * *

Somewhere from atop a tall building, a smirking figure made the noise "Hmph," which resonated throughout the air.

* * *

The Titans decided to go stealthily when the headed for where Sara told them the noise came from. Beast Boy was flying through the air his pterodactyl form, along with Sara, Starfire, and Raven - who used her powers to make a disc that held Cyborg and Robin.

Sara led them through the air and her ears twitched again.

"This way!" she yelled to her fellow Titans as she changed their straight course.

* * *

The figure was jumping nimbly from building to building, melting with the air that flew across their body. They laughed to themselves and said when they stopped momentarily, "Man, I love a good game of tag in the morning."

They laughed once more before hopping to the next building.

* * *

As Sara led the Titans through the city, a sound resonated in the air and her teeth clenched together. She slowed to a stop and the other Titans followed her example.

"What happened?" Robin asked.

Sara turned to face them, disapproval on her face, "They got away."

"…"

The others stared at her as she headed back for the T-Car.

* * *

The mysterious person dangled their feet from a company building and asked to no one in particular, "Giving up so soon?" They chuckled and said before jumping from the building, "I win."

* * *

Even from the car, Sara heard the snide remark and gritted her teeth as she stared out the window. Everyone was surprised when she asked for the outside seat; Those were usually Starfire and Raven's seats. But Star gave up her seat and sat next to Robin in the middle instead.

Raven, sitting in the passenger's seat next to Cyborg, glanced in the rearview mirror at her upset posture.

Sara's never really been this upset - not even when they were battling Control Freak.

Yet here she was, staring off at space with her teeth clenched and her fist on her cheek.


	6. The Dumpster Flinger

When all was said and done, Sara went to her room directly after everyone finished dinner. Her earlier mood never surfaced at all, _except_ when she retreated to her room.

She was laying on her bed, fingers laced together and resting on her stomach, when she heard a knock on the door. She got up and let it slide open. When it did, she saw Raven's stoic expression in front of her.

Sara quickly smiled and said, "Hi-"

"You don't have to do that in front of me," Raven said.

"…? What, do you-"

"You're smiling, even though we _both_ know you're pissed about something."

"…" The smile Sara tried so hard to muster fell apart and she had a look on her face that Raven had never seen before.

"Did you come here to console me? Or lecture me?" She asked, with a blank look on her face.

"I came to talk," Raven started.

"So talk."

Sara's remarks started to get on Raven's nerves and she struggled internally to keep her temper in check.

"Look," she said, annoyance laced in her voice, "I just wanted to ask you who the person we were tracking was."

"I don't know," Sara said bluntly.

"You _do_ know," Raven told her. "You just don't want to tell me."

"Are we done here?" Sara tried to shut the door.

Raven's foot stopped the closing wall that separated her from Sara.

"Who. Was it?" she asked.

"I don't. Know!" Sara said, mimicking Raven's tone, as she tried to close the door again.

Raven's foot stopped it once again and her eyes turned a bright white.

"Tell me," she growled.

"No," Sara refused.

"I can tell you."

Their head snapped towards the window to see a guy sitting in Sara's now-opened window.

His eyes sparkled a bright blue, and his hair was a shocking blonde - yet had traces of blue at the end of each hair. Freckles covered his entire body; Well, the parts you could see. He wore a long sleeved leather jacket that went to his wrists and ended at his waist. Underneath that was a blank, blood red v-neck tshirt. The boots he wore laced up to his lower shin and held the ends of his pants. You could see that his black jeans had zippers on them and were ripped at some places like the knees and lower thighs. The way he was sitting had his leg closest to the outside world stretched out in front of him, and the other bent, knee near his face - which made it easier on the elbow that perched atop it.

Sara growled lowly at his mere presence in the room - which told Raven _he_ was the mysterious figure on the roof. _He_ was the one they tried tracking. And _he_ was not someone Sara held dearly.

Sara tried to hold in the growl that resided in her throat. "What are you doing here?"

"Well geez," the man laughed, "I just came to see _you,_ sweetheart. I didn't expect a welcoming party."

"Get out," Sara grumbled.

"Why, I was only dropping by," he said.

Sara's eyes were filled with fury and anger. Raven could feel the tension that hung between them.

"You don't need to."

Her eyes never left is, which could only prove the distrust she had for him.

But why?

"I was only concerned when you didn't finish our game," the man swung his feet around towards them, still sitting on the ledge.

Sara's hands and arms were surrounded by flames unconsciously as he jumped from the window. He stood to be 6' 1''. The closer he got to her, the more she had to turn up her chin to meet his eyes. He stopped walking when he was in front of her and looked down at her. The anger never once faded from her eyes.

Until…

He reached out to hold her arm when a black blade stopped him from reaching her.

When he calmly turned his head, he saw Raven's hand up and her energy coming out of her hands.

His eyes flashed from blue to neon green and back with his mouth slightly agape. In a matter of seconds he disappeared. Raven put down her hand and looked around the room to find him. She could still sense him here, but she couldn't see him. He couldn't have disappeared into thin air, so - where did he go?

As she looked around the room to find him, his figure reformed above her and he let go of the ceiling that he held in his palms. He dropped his foot down and kicked Raven to the ground.

"Ugh!"

The man stared at the now-unconscious Raven, then at Sara. He asked questioningly, "Really?" He slowly started walking towards her as her whole body started to emit flames outwards. Unfazed, he kept walking towards her. "You're hanging out with people like her?"

Sara growled lowly, "' _People like her'_? They're good people, strong people - we're a team."

He stopped a couple feet in front of her when he heard the word "team". "' _We''_?" he said with an indescribable look to his face.

* * *

In the living room, the Titans were doing their own activities when they heard a loud _*crash*_ come from the hall.

"That came from Sara's room," Beast Boy said as he turned off the TV.

Exchanging glances, the Titans all rushed to their newest member's room.

* * *

When the door slammed open, they saw her room was trashed. Ice covered the walls and fire had scorched her pillow. Raven lay unconscious on the floor. They had grunts and clashing strengths interrupt their thoughts. When they looked up they saw Sara battling someone they'd never seen before.

"Being here's made you weak!" the man yelled as he blocked every one of her advances.

Sara had formed icicles in her palms and after shooting them at the mysterious man, said, "What's so wrong with being on a team?!"

The man swiftly dodged the incoming danger and grabbed one in the process. He spun in a circle and fired it back at her. She jumped and avoided it - barely.

"What was ' _so wrong'_ with staying in Trimph!?" He punched the floor and starting from his fist the floor crackled and spiked up, tearing the floor to pieces.

"You know why I left!" Sara shouted before she jumped to a wall, pushed off from it, and tried to kick her opponent.

He intercepted her foot by grabbing her by the ankle and spun around before letting her foot slip through his fingers.

"Ugh!"

Her back slammed against the wall and she fell to the battered floor. He walked over to her and picked her up by her shirt.

He growled through gritted teeth, "You left before you told me why."

She struggled to break free from his grasp, but to no avail.

"Leave her alone!"

A yell was heard from behind him and he turned around - still holding Sara's shirt.

Robin stood straight, his chest puffed out. "Unless you want to go through all of us first."

His face didn't change; Only his eyes. They dyed green and he blended into his surroundings. The others' eyes widened and tried to find the disappearing man.

And they soon did, when he reappeared in front of Robin and punched him in the stomach. He fell backwards and Starfire knelt down next to him. "Robin!" she gasped. She looked up at the man's turned back and her eyes lit up. She yelled, "Raugh!" and charged at him. When he turned back, Starfire's fist was two inches from his face.

She had stopped midair.

"Huh…?!"

But _she_ didn't stop herself.

His eyes were a bright yellow and she was flung backwards instantly.

"Starfire!" Beast Boy ran to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

When he looked up - the boy was right in front of him and he barely had enough time to widen his eyes before he was grabbed and lifted by his collar.

"Lemme go!" he struggled.

"No."

At the man's blunt refusal, anger filled Beast Boy's eyes and he changed into a bear. The man had let go of him when he became too big to hold. Beast Boy slashed at him and caught his arm, which ripped his jacket and drew blood. As the man winced in pain, Beast Boy morphed back to his human form in a readied battle stance.

When the man rose his head once more, his eyes were a dark red and the three slashes that rested on his arm closed up, healing completely.

"That wasn't very nice," he said lowly.

He charged at Beast Boy and tackled him to the ground. As he bashed his head against the floor repeatedly, Beast Boy kicked him in the stomach and threw him over his shoulder. He now lay on his back and Beast Boy flipped himself to get up. He turned his head to glare at the man before taking on his lion form. By this point in time, the man had already got to his feet and prepared to fight.

"Enough!"

A flame wall appeared in between the quarreling two and Beast Boy skidded to a halt before changing back to himself.

The Titans looked at the wall nearest to the window and saw Sara's hands enclosed by fire. As the fire dispersed she walked towards the two of them angrily.

"Max," she started, "I left home because of my own problems." She reached them and stopped walking. Whilst glaring at the man - whose name was apparently Max, she said, "I don't need to explain myself to you or anyone else." She held her head up high and finished, "My past doesn't matter. I'm a Titan now. Either accept it, or leave me alone."

"…" Max hung his head in anger and murmured, "Glad to know the past didn't matter."

Sara's glare disappeared, and instead was replaced with remorse. "Max-"

He worked his way to the window, swatting away her hand that tried to reach out to him. He mumbled to her over his shoulder, "This isn't over," and jumped out the window.

"…" The Titans were now silent and staring at Sara, who was hanging her head, staring at the floor.

She walked over to Raven and said to everyone, "He kicked her pretty hard. Right at her shoulder blade." She slung Raven's arm over her shoulder and started lifting her teammate up. She asked dully, "Do you guys have an infirmary?"

Robin nodded, and led everyone out of the room and to the Titan's infirmary.


	7. Titans' Dance

**Hey guys, it's me. I was just letting you guys know that pretty soon I'm going to be posting another story named "Sara's Story". It follows the plotline for this story, but it gives a little background information on Sara and Max relationship when they were growing up. I'll add the chapters when I think it's necessary for you to understand, and I hope you guys like the inside look on their previous personalities.**

 **Anyways, Enjoy! ^.^**

 **\- Sara36913**

* * *

The Titans were hanging out together in the den, one fateful day.

"Eat metal pain!"

Beast Boy and Sara were playing video games on the couch - and Sara was winning.

"WINNER!" the TV echoed. Sara laughed and did her own "victory dance", whilst Beast Boy crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. "Man, you cheated!"

"Did not!" Sara said, smiling to the fullest.

Cyborg was in the kitchen, but now walked to them holding a frying pan. "You sure know your way around robot combat."

"Thank you," Sara smiled.

Starfire came in holding up a flyer. "We have received an invitation saying we shall dance!"

"What?" Robin asked, getting up from his seat in the kitchen.

"A colorful sliver of a tree came into the Tower's box of mail, stating we are welcomed to attend the dance of us!" She held up the pink paper in her hands and Robin read it.

"'Titans' Dance'. They're holding a ball this Saturday in the City's ballroom." He looked to his fellow Titans. "Apparently it's in our honor."

"Sweet!" Beast Boy ran to where they were standing. "It'll give me a chance to show everyone my awesome moves!"

Beast Boy started dancing, and they _were_ awesome moves, but not the type that was previously mentioned.

"Uh, Beast Boy?" Robin said.

His feet stopped and looked at him. "Yeah?"

"They didn't mean breakdancing."

"…?"

Once he saw the confused look on Beast Boy's face, Cyborg told him, "They meant _ballroom_ dancing, dude."

"You mean like slow dancing?!" Beast Boy whined.

"Yeah, like that," Robin said.

"But I don't know _how_ to slow dance!" He complained once again when they broke the news to him.

"Here," Sara said, grabbing his hand. She pulled him to the middle of the living room and moved the coffee table out of the way. "Do this." She put his hands around her navel and held up his other hand with hers. She rested her hand on his shoulder and said, "Now, you just move your feet."

"Aren't they in steps of three or something?" he tilted his head to the side and asked as serious as he could.

Sara laughed a little before continuing. "Something like that." She told him to move his feet and follow after her. He did so, and improved quicker than she thought he would.

"One… Two… Three… One… Two… Three." Beast Boy mumbled the numbers so he could stay in rhythm.

After a while, he got the hang of things and she let go of his hand, and they parted.

"You were doing really good," she said earnestly.

"Really?" he asked hopefully.

"All that you need to work on is not counting," she smiled at him, trying to pick on him.

Beast Boy's new found confidence was interrupted by Cyborg, who had an epiphany.

"Uh, guys…?" he said. Once he grabbed everyone's attention, he said, "Who's going to tell Raven we're going to _a dance_ Saturday?"

"…"

After he brought up this unsettling obstacle, Starfire smiled at Cyborg, who looked to Robin smiling, who nodded to Beast Boy. Before he noticed, everyone was nodding at each other, and they had him surrounded.

"…!"

Before he got the chance to even _think_ about arguing, he was standing outside Raven's door, not wanting to knock on the door.

But, he did it anyways, and he said sheepishly, "Um… Raven? Can I come in?"

As if to answer him, the door slid open and he saw Raven as she stopped levitating and sat down on her bed. "What?" she asked. "I was in the middle of meditating."

"Um," he tried to figure out how to word what he needed to say. "Well, there was a flyer in the mail, and it wanted us to go to a dance. Saturday…?" he unconsciously scrunched his face as he tried to explain it. He had accidentally said this as a question and tried to search Raven's face for emotion.

"Ok…?" she said questioningly.

"Well, do you wanna go?" he asked.

"… What…?" she asked, taken aback.

"Do you, wanna go? To the dance?" he asked, a little more confident now that he got a reaction out of her.

A light _*ker-thunk*_ echoed in Raven's chest.

"It's on Saturday…" he told her reassuringly.

"This, Saturday?" Raven asked. Once he nodded, she debated to herself, but sighed afterwards. "Ok," she said. "I'll be there."

Beast Boy's face brightened as soon as she agreed. "Great!" he said, smiling widely, before he left her room with a spring in his step.

When the door shut, Raven could hear him yell down the hall, " _Hey guys, she said yes!"_

Starfire's cheery squeal echoed in the Tower and another knock soon fell on Raven's door.

She got up to open it this time - which she would soon regret.

She was soon blindsided by a red blur, and her face was covered in a soft wave of warmth.

"Starfire, you're crushing me." Raven tried to wiggle out of the hold her friend had on her.

"Forgive me friend!" She said - not intending to let go. "I am just so glad you have decided to accompany us to the dance of Titans!"

"Yeah yeah," Raven peeled her off of her and brushed off her cloak.

"We must go to the mall of shopping!"

"What?"

Stopping her from pressing any further, Star grabbed Raven's hand and pulled her out of her room.

* * *

The boys (and Sara) were in the living room talking to each other.

"Man, I can't believe she said she'll go," Cyborg said.

Robin said, "I guess it only took Beast Boy."

"Heh," he scoffed, sounding cocky. He ran his fingers through his hair and said confidently, "Only the best of the best."

"Yeah, _that's_ it," Sara said sarcastically.

"So," Beast Boy leaned towards her, "Why _did_ you leave your hometown?"

"…"

When she looked at the three of them, they all had curiosity plastered on either their eyes or face. She smiled meekly and said, "Let's just say I'm not on good terms with some of the people there."

She knew this topic was going to come back, but still she left it at that. And so did the guys when they decided to leave the conversation at that - not wanting to pry any further.

For reasons they did not know, Starfire came barreling into the room with an annoyed Raven dragging behind her. Before anyone got the chance to ask her what was happening, Star grabbed Sara by the wrist with her free hand and tugged on her.

"Wah!"

She stumbled as she tried to regain her footing.

Star turned to the group and smiled brightly as she said, "We will depart to the mall of shopping and return before our midday feast!"

"What?" Robin's eyes went wide at her statement.

"It would be best if you all chose suits from monkeys as well."

"You want us to buy tuxes?!" Cyborg's eyes widen when he heard _that_ statement.

"Yes!"

"W-Wait-!"

No one could get their two cents in, because by then Starfire had already dragged Raven and Sara out of the Tower.

"…"

As the boys stood there and exchanged looks, Beast Boy said, "I've got a bad feeling about this…"


	8. New Outfits

In Jump City's Mall…

A cheerful Tamaranian, a stoic empath, and a fiery spirit were jumping from store to store in order to find themselves "perfect dresses" for an upcoming dance.

"Starfire! Quit it!"

… The empath wasn't having fun…

"What is wrong, friend Raven?"

"I already have eight dresses you shoved at me from the _last_ store. I don't need ten more!"

"I had to purchase them all, you did not tell me which one you favored more," Starfire argued.

"Hey guys," a voice called out from the dressing room and the fighting girls turned to look at it.

"I think I found one I like." When Sara stepped out from the dressing room she was in, the other two girl stared at her as if she were a gem. "What'd you think?"

Starfire clapped happily, "Oo, it suits you indeed!"

Raven smiled at her, "It looks nice."

Sara gave a warm smile to them in return. "Thanks."

Starfire turned to her other friend, "All that is left is Raven's attire!"

Raven groaned as she was shoved once again into a dressing room, with ten new dresses.

"I'm not trying all of these on!" she yelled from inside.

"Yeah you will," Sara said when she stepped out of hers, now in her normal clothes.

* * *

After a while of pick-and-choose, Raven found a dress she liked, as did the girls.

"Magnificent!" Starfire declared.

"You look beautiful…" Sara nodded smiling at her. "… Oh and you're wearing the dress," she added happily.

Raven felt self conscious at her friends comments and quickly said, "I'm taking it off!" before hurrying back to her dressing room.

Once everyone paid for their new outfits, they all flew back to the Tower together, excited for the dance.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Tuxes Galore…

"It's too tight!"

"Quit whining!"

The boys were trying on different tuxes in the second store they went to since they've arrived at the mall. Beast Boy was in the dressing room next to Cyborg, who was next to Robin.

"Beast Boy," he said, "You can't say that about everything you try on."

"I _can_ and I **will!"** he yelled.

"Quit yelling, you're makin' a scene," Cyborg scolded him.

Beast Boy growled and mumbled something under his breath when he stepped out from his room. The others followed soon after.

"Well, how's it lookin'?" Cyborg asked.

"Snazzy!" Beast Boy said. "How about me?"

"You look sharp," Robin answered.

"Great! That means we can take these off-!"

"And _buy_ them," Robin added.

Beast Boy grumbled once again, mumbling the entire way home.

* * *

Night fell and the boys arrived at the Tower. To their surprise, the girls were already there.

But something peculiar caught their eye.

They saw their stuff on the table, but not them. They figured they were in their rooms when Beast Boy thought of an idea.

"Guys!" he ran over to the table that held their dresses. "We can find out what they're gonna look like before the dance!"

"Beast Boy," Robin said warily, "I don't think that's a good-"

Just as Beast Boy reached out to open the shopping bags, a black hand slapped him across his face and he fell on the ground.

"Don't touch our stuff," Raven said slightly angry, as she walked out from the hallway and to the kitchen. She grabbed the three bags and left the room, leaving Beast Boy on the kitchen floor, holding his cheek.

"Told you…" Robin mumbled as he walk towards his fallen friend.

Beast Boy got up and said, "I just wanted to take a quick peek. It's not like I'd ruin them or anything."

Cyborg snickered, "Not on purpose."

"Hmph!"

Just then, the alarm went off and everyone piled into the den.

"What is it?" Sara asked.

"Adonis," Robin started, "He's been spotted at the docks. Grab your gear and meet me at Daron's Port in five."

* * *

Making their way to the loading docks by air and vehicle, the Titans soon split into groups on Robin's command.

"Cyborg, Starfire, flank left - search the cargo boats for anything suspicious. Raven and Beast Boy, search the loading zones for tracks of any kind. Sara, you're with me. We're going in the warehouse storage rooms. Report back once you find anything." He said to everyone, "Titans, move out!"

With his command everyone split off into their groups to their designated areas.

* * *

Raven flew to the sky to scan the perimeter for Adonis whilst Beast Boy tried sniffing out his scent in his canine form. Once Raven flew back to his side, she asked, "Any luck?"

He shook his head, "No, just fish and burnt rubber." He asked her, "Any robot tracks?"

"No," she said grimly.

Beast Boy took out his communicator and told everyone, "All clear in the loading docks."

* * *

"All clear in the cargo holds," Cyborg spoke into his communicator.

Starfire questioned, "Are there traces of Adonis in the houses for ware?"

* * *

Robin said disappointingly, "No."

He heard Beast Boy's communicator go off. "It doesn't make any sense. There aren't any traces of Adonis here. Not even anything _close_ to his scent."

Robin asked, "You guys didn't find _anything_ , Raven? Not even other tracks?"

She shook her head at her own device. "It doesn't look like anyone's been here for the past six hours."

Robin scrunched his face. "It doesn't make any sense." He asked Cyborg with resolute, "Can you do a thermal scan for the entire place?"

"Sure, but it's gonna take a few minutes."

Just then, Raven dropped her communicator and it disconnected with a thud. When Beast Boy heard this, he looked up and cried out, "RAVEN!"

"What!?" Robin yelled. Before he could hear him, Beast Boy's communicator had already been shut off and shoved in his pocket.

Robin yelled, "Everyone to the loading docks!"

* * *

She felt the cold pavement beneath her skin. The rough, dry, black surface was soon covered with a deep red substances. Groaning, Raven tried climbing to her feet. She could only make it to her knees, because when she attempted to stand previously, she fell once more and her hands and knees drew blood across the cement. Her vision blurred as she tried to recall the events that happened not a moment ago. She was hovering behind Beast Boy when she was blasted with something, which knocked her off her feet. She figured it must have been something powerful, as she was flung ten feet to the side. She could taste something metallic which could be fair to say was her own blood. But she knew that was the least of her problems.

She had to find Beast Boy.

And she couldn't see because her vision was clouded.

Attempting once more with resolute, she climbed to her feet once more. But as soon as she tried to turn around, she fell on her side. The only thing good that came out of falling repeatedly, only to worsen your blood loss, was that now in the position she was in she got a perfect view of Beast Boy.

Well, a blurred Beast Boy.

She saw him attacking someone, but couldn't make out who it was. She thought he was in his tiger form when she saw he got grabbed by the throat and slammed into the pavement on his back. Her eyes now focused and widened when she saw the figure raise their other fist.

They were aiming to kill him.

She yelled "Beast Boy!" and shot out the last of her strength - hoping to create a protective shield around him - before she blacked out, and felt the cold night air caress her into a deep, deep slumber.


	9. Not Adonis?

It was cold. It was dark. It was a lonely feeling.

Raven was lying unconscious on the cold, hard pavement of Daron's Bay loading dock.

She was unconscious.

She was alone.

* * *

The very first to arrive was Robin, who was then quickly accompanied by Starfire, flying and carrying Cyborg by the arms.

He shouted, "Where are they?!"

Cyborg answered back, "When I ran a thermal scan it said they were at the fourth dock from the end.

"Let's go!" He yelled and ran, hoping his friends were ok.

* * *

When they arrived at the scene, they saw a horrible sight. One of their teammates was fallen on the ground, bleeding uncontrollably. The other, crumpled on the ground in a trance.

"Beast Boy!" Robin yelled out, running over to him.

The shield Raven had mustered up took a couple hits and died out. It saved him momentarily, though, because in between his opponents repetitive strong hits his vision cleared. He saw a fist preparing to hit him - now that the shield had dissipated. His friends' shouts could be heard in the distance, but he didn't notice - the ringing in his ears made sure of that. When he saw the fist inch closer to him he closed his eyes and anticipated an immense pain, which never came.

When he opened his eyes again, Robin had intercepted it and pushed the figure back a couple of steps.

"No!" Beast Boy yelled, stepping ahead of Robin, who was trying to fight him. "Don't fight him!" he cried out.

"Why!?" Robin asked furiously.

"He has Sara!"

"What…!?"

As the two conversed hurriedly, the person reeled their fist back, aiming for Beast Boy's spine. Robin quickly shoved them both out of the way before the two impacted. Instead, their fist hit the ground - hard. The cement circled out and broke off into a million pieces - starting with where their fist hit the ground.

The person turned around to face the two heroes - who were now vulnerably lying on the pavement. They shook of their fist lightly, blood trickling down their hand.

"You know," they said, "I was hoping to finish this before sunrise."

Just as they spoke, the sun peaked over from where the sea was, indicating it was now morning.

"But I guess I'll have to leave it at this."

Before anyone could blink, the person disappeared and left the two of them on lying on the ground. Cyborg and Starfire rushed over to them to help them stand up.

Beast Boy tried swatting away their hands, saying weakly, "Forget about me, we need to help Rave-"

When he escaped the pairs of hands that held him up, he quickly fell on his knees out of exhaustion.

"Beasty!" Cyborg kneeled beside him as the world faded to black.

* * *

A faint noise echoed in his ears.

Beep… Beep… Beep…

When his eyes opened, the world around him consisted of blurry blobs and swirling colors. He regained focus on the room and saw he was in the infirmary, back at the Tower. He mustered the strength to sit up, slowly.

"Mnnh…"

When his chest was over his waist again, his head throbbed.

"Augh!"

His hand quickly found his temple. The room started tilting. He heard a noise, then realized it was the door. When he looked up, he saw Cyborg walking over to him. "BB," he said happily, "You're awake."

"Yeah…" Beast Boy was still a little confused on why he was hooked up to an IV.

Then it all came flooding back to him. The docks, the battle, Raven -

"RAVEN!" Beast Boy yelled and started to push aside the sheets that were covering him.

"Woah woah," Cyborg quickly stopped him. "You need to rest!"

"Where is she!?" he said, ignoring his friend.

"Listen!" Cyborg pushed on his chest and forced him back down. When he tried to get up again, it only lead to failure as he was pushed down again. "Raven's fine," he started, "She just has mild scrapes on her hands and knees."

Beast Boy asked, not completely convinced, "That's _all…_?"

"That's all," Cyborg said reassuringly.

Beast Boy searched his memories. "But, then why'd she black out?"

Cyborg told him, "When she got pushed down, she must've hit her head. She has a minor concussion, but she'll be fine after a couple days."

"…"

He smiled at his friend, "Relax. She's fine."

Beast Boy's shoulders dropped as the worry fled from his mind.

"She comes here a lot…"

"What?"

Cyborg smiled softly before it faded out again. "She blamed herself that she couldn't be there for you… When we told her that you fainted, she immediately thought her force field didn't hold out and you got hurt because of her."

Beast Boy's face dropped when his friend explained this to him.

He got lost in thought for a moment before his train of thought was interrupted by a click of the door.

Both of their heads turned to see Raven standing there, shocked that Beast Boy was awake.

He smiled softly. "Hi…"

Her face was still shocked, thought she replied shakily, "You're awake…"

He nodded at her.

"I'll let you two catch up," Cyborg said, standing up from Beast Boy's bed.

When the door clicked shut again, he looked at Raven and said, smiling, "Your shield held out."

She was taken aback. "… What…?"

"Your shield. It held out long enough for these guys to catch up to me." His smile went softer. "You saved me…"

 _*ka-thunk*_

That weird noise echoed in Raven's chest again. He swung his feet out of the bed so he could face her better. When he did, Raven had a better view of the brace on his right knee and ankle. He noticed her gaze and he looked down.

"Huh," he chuckled, "That's new…"

When he looked up, he saw her gaze was to the side and down. She was staring at the floor, unable to look him in the eye.

His smile was replaced by a serious face and he started to get up. When the bed creaked as he stood up, Raven's gaze shifted from the floor to him.

"Sit back down," she said sternly, "You shouldn't walk on your foot yet…!"

"Fine." He stopped in front of her and offered a deal. "I'll lie back down if you can look me in the eyes and say it's not your fault I've got these on."

Her gaze shifted away from him again. She said, upset with herself, "It _is_ my fault. I couldn't even _heal_ you properly."

Fed up, Beast Boy grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "Say it."

She looked at his green eyes. The usual light and laid back attitude that was always laced in his voice was gone. He was serious about this.

Though she was reluctant at first, she told him, "It wasn't entirely my fault."

"…" He gave her a "really?" look with an eyebrow raised, making her roll her eyes.

She tried again.

"It's not my fault…" she said softly, almost inaudible.

He smiled. "Good." He released her chin and said, "Now we're on the same page."

Only then did either of them notice he had a brace around his left wrist, but neither dared to bring the topic back up. They both knew Raven would say 'it was her fault' again., bringing them both back to square one.

"Where're the others?" he asked as he sat back down, holding up his end of the bargain.

She walked over to his bed and said, "Worrying about you in the den." She pulled the sheets up to his stomach before sitting next to him.

"Well," he smiled, "Cy's probably telling them I'm awake."

"…"

Though all was ok now, Raven still had a bothered look to her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked concerned.

"I just don't know how I couldn't sense him," she said, scrunching her face.

Beast Boy put his hand on her leg reassuringly. "What did we _**just**_ go over?" He said, "It doesn't matter."

When she looked at him, a smile worked its way to his face. "I'm ok now…" he said happily.

"…"

He said seriously, "If anything, it was my fault I couldn't protect you."

"…!"

As Raven's head jolted to look at him, she said, "That's not your-" She cut herself short to find Beast Boy smirking, raising an eyebrow.

"It's not my what?" he asked teasingly.

"Ok, ok," she gave up, "I get what you mean."

Beast Boy looked at his leg and asked her, "You think it'll heal before the dance?"

She answered grimly, "I doubt it…"

He sighed sadly and whined, "Maaan! And _just_ when I started looking forward to it!"

She smiled weakly at him and asked, "Do you want some lunch?"

His face lit up instantly and he smiled widely. "Yes please!"

She smiled at him and got up from his bed. Before she could take a step forward, he grabbed her wrist. When she started to turn back at him, he pulled her towards him and he kissed her forehead.

"…!?"

When he pulled back, he saw she had an uneasy and nervous tint to her face. He smiled toothily and asked, "Can it be pizza?"


	10. Past Unraveled

She awoke sleepily and scanned the area with eyes that were trying to adjust to the dimming evening sun. She saw nothing but an open field and a lush green forest in front of her, as well as a perfect view of small houses that were built downhill from where she stood.

Anyone else would assume they were in the middle of nowhere, but when she looked around, she knew exactly where she was.

"Trimph…" she exhaled in awe.

Sara knew she was on the roof of her old house in an instant. She recalled memories of sledding down those very same hills. Playing in that very meadow in the spring. And climbing these same trees in the summer's sun. Her most precious childhood memories came flooding back to her, even though she tried _so hard_ to forget them before she left.

As she took a step forward, she was suddenly stopped by something. When she stared down at her wrists she saw shackles that wrapped around her wrists and were bolted to the roof of the house. She tried to break them with any power she had - all to no avail. She heard a reluctant sigh - as well as a voice, that came from beside her.

"You won't get those off…" it said.

She turned her head to see Max sitting next to her with a leg curled to his chest and a chin on his knee.

"They're made out of mercury and kryptonic curium." He was staring off into the distance at the forest in front of them. "No way out…" he said dully.

"…"

Sara stared at him silently, knowing he was right. This was the one thing _she couldn't break_ \- even if she wanted to.

After staring at him for a while, she sat down quietly next to him. He put down his legs and stretched them outwards, crossing one ankle over another. His palms rested on the shingles of the roof underneath him and he sighed once more.

"Brings back memories, huh?"

"…" She stared at him as a nonchalant smile crept on his face.

He turned his head to look at her. She had her arms wrapped around her knees, which tucked neatly under her face. Her small figure seemed _even smaller_ when she did this - though it seemed physically impossible.

She said, whilst staring at the sun - which was barely peaking through the trees, "Yeah…"

"Hmh…" Max chuckled lightly to himself.

"…"

After a long moment of silence, and the continuous downward movement of the sun, Max said quietly, in a deep, raspy voice, "You never _**did**_ tell me why you left…"

Sara's head turned to him, who was now staring at his feet. She asked him, sounding offended, "Why does it matter?"

His voice rose unconsciously, "Dammit Sara! It just does!"

"…"

He sighed when he saw her face. She looked like a child when scolded by their parent. "I'm sorry," he said, looking at his feet again before he curled them to his chest again, hugging his legs. "… It just matters to me…"

After a moment passed, Sara said quietly, "Pops…"

Max turned to stare at her.

She continued, "Pops and I had a fight before I left… That was one I just couldn't handle…"

Max asked, "What was it about?"

When she turned to tell him off again, she saw the concerned and fretful look he had in his eyes and couldn't bring herself to shut him out.

"He wanted to send me to my Uncle Eddie…"

Max's faced changed to sorrow. "What…?"

"Uncle E and Auntie S wanted to see how my powers worked…" She stared at the treeline before saying, "They were gonna do surgery on me…"

"…"

After staring at the treeline with her for a minute, Max let out a small chuckle. "I knew you weren't on good terms with your old man, but damn, you sure know how to hightail it outta here."

She turned to him and he did the same.

He continued, "I couldn't find you no matter where I looked. Then I went to ask your folks what happened, and your dad was really quiet when your ma explained you left the day before."

"…" Sara asked him, "Where're they now…?"

Max turned to look at her in surprise. "You didn't hear?" She shook her head. "They took off for Masoka to live with Aunt Rikki."

Sara's blood boiled, "They left?"

Max stared at her, void of emotion. "You're really dumb, you know that?"

Sara knitted her eyebrows. "What?" she asked him questioningly.

"Without you here, they had nothing, Sara."

Her face did a doubletake and no trace of anger could be found on her face.

"Your dad may have said that, but he didn't mean it." Max asked her, "Did he even _say_ he was giving you up to them?"

She searched her memories and found out she was wrong. She shook her head no and tears formed in her eyes. "He was just telling me what Eddie wanted him to do…" She rested her face on her lap and wept quietly. Max reached out to touch her, but decided against it and drew back his hand.

"I'm sorry," was all he could say before she shocked him.

She turned to him and buried her face in his chest. She cried softly for a moment before he put his arm around her shoulder.

Just as she did to him, ten years ago.

* * *

 _It was a harsh, cold, stormy winter night in Trimph, and a young, six-year-old boy sat cocooned in the warmth of the burning fireplace, and another's strong arms. They could hear voices coming from the kitchen - voices that belonged to the adults. They were discussing the phone call they just got._

" _What are we gonna do, Rachel?"_

" _I don't know!" a woman said, "But I'm not going to give him to the authorities, I can tell you that."_

" _Well, should we take him in?" the man asked._

" _Dammit Cory! Why would you ask_ _ **me**_ _that?" the woman said, sounding offended._

" _Well because_ they _aren't coming back!" he scoffed._

"…"

 _He apologized, "I'm sorry, Rachel… I just don't know what to do…"_

" _I know…"_

 _The woman and man embraced each other, shielded from the children in the other room. A little boy wept into the shoulder of his friend, mourning the loss of his parents._

* * *

Max awoke, a little startled. As he opened his eyes, he felt the cool night air caress his cheeks. He felt something warm move next to him and looked to his left to see Sara, lying down with him, wrapped in his embrace. She had dried up tear trails still on her cheeks from last night. It was in that instant he remembered where he was.

The roof…

They were still on the roof…

He felt her shiver in his arms and tried to wake her immediately.

"Sara," he said, nudging her, "Get up."

She grumbled and the arms around his waist tightened. She mumbled, "Five more minutes…"

"No, dammit!"

He thought for a minute, and then smiled wickedly. He leaned in close to her and blew in her ear.

She scrunched her shoulders up and awoke saying, "Auh!" She held her ear with her hand and asked him, "What'd you do that for?!"

It wasn't until then did she realize that he was so close to her and she started to get self conscious. With a * _poof*_ her face quickly gained a red tint, which made Max blush not long after.

"What're you blushing for!?" he asked, his cheeks reddening with every passing second.

"S-Sorry!" Sara quickly moved from his side and sat up normally. Max followed her and started to stand up.

"We'd better get inside," he said, "There are blankets 'n stuff in the house." He smiled when he saw her confused face. He grinned at her and said, "Your folks didn't take _everything_ with them when they left…"


	11. Fragile Emotions

In the Titan's Tower…

"It's not working, her communicator's off."

"Can you try harder?"

"No, Raven, what part of 'her communicator's off', _don't you understand!?"_

"Gr…"

Robin and Raven argued with each other in the den as he tried to pinpoint Sara's location.

"What about Max?" Raven asked.

Robin shook his head, "No one's seen him."

"It's been a full day, Robin!" Raven complained, "How long is it going to take?!"

"I don't know!" he yelled back.

"…" Raven bit her tongue and thought it was best not to agitate him in this irritable state - as well as she was in hers. She turned around with a swoosh of her cape and declared, "I'm going to meditate," before retreating to her room.

"…"

In the corner of the room was Beast Boy, who was shaking his leg impatiently as he ran through yesterday's battle in his head.

He remembered _everything._

" _Raven!"_

 _He ran to his fallen teammate after he turned off his communicator and shoved it into his pocket. "Raven! Are you ok!?" he raised her shoulders, cradling her head in his palms._

 _Her eyes slowly flickered and she said weakly, "What happened?"_

" _I don't-"_

 _He looked up again at his surroundings. He saw Max standing a little ways away, with Sara in his arms, slumped towards his chest. She lay motionless in his grasp, eyes closed._

" _Man," he said, sounding upset, "I was really hoping no one else'd spot me when I picked up my cargo."_

 _Beast Boy stared at him in disgust, to which Max smirked at. "Guess I gotta get rid of the witnesses."_

 _Beast Boy growled lowly and morphed into a gorilla, setting Raven back on the ground._

 _Max set down Sara gently and cracked his knuckles. "This is gonna be fun."_

 _Beast Boy charged at him and swung his huge fists. Max caught one of them and flipped him over his shoulder. His back hit the pavement and changed back to his human form. Max's chuckle made him flip up onto his feet. When he smirked smugly at him, Beast Boy growled over his shoulder and morphed into a cheetah. He bolted at Max at breakneck speeds, zigzagging from stride to stride. He tried following his patterns, but every time Beast Boy landed a hit, he would change them. Fed up, Max grunted and punched the ground beneath him. It shot up in shards, and one spike caught Beast Boy by surprise as it lifted him into the air. Smirking, Max said "Got you."_

 _As he reached up to grab Beast Boy, he had already turned into an eagle and flew away from him. He flew circles above Max head, to which he responded by attempting to grab his feet. Beast Boy took the opening and clawed Max's side, drawing three gashes of blood from atop his rib cage. As he winced, Max's eyes pooled to a deep red which made the lines of blood closed, leaving only tears in his jacket._

 _He stared at him with pure fury in his now-blue eyes. "Y'know kid," he started, "I was gonna go easy on you." His eyes turned yellow as he said, "But now…"_

 _In a matter of second Beast Boy was flung from the sky to the ground, reverting him back to his human form. He held his rib in pain once he heard them cracking. The breath was taken from his lungs and he lay on the ground, trying to ease the searing pain._

 _Max's eyes flickered green and he disappeared from Beast Boy's blurring sight. The pain had triggered an emotion within him, which forced him to tear up. His tears quickly vanished, though, when he saw Max force Raven to her feet. He soon forgot the scorching pain and his eyes burned with fury. He growled lowly and the primal side of him emerged. His clothes ripped. His sneakers tore apart at the seams. The pupils which were imbedded in his emerald green eyes soon shrunk._

 _In a matter of milliseconds, he was recognizable as_ "The Beast" _and was gripping Max's throat. When he raised his claw to him, his captive's eyes turned a bright gold as he gritted his teeth, trying to loosen the claws that clenched his throat tightly. Beast Boy was thrown against one of the cargo ships -_ hard. _Whilst staring him down and walking closer to the thrashing Beast, Max held up his hands to the sides and crowbars floated next to him. He shot one towards Beast Boy and his right wrist was soon bolted to the ship. Though when it came to his left wrist, Max drove the crowbar into it like a steak. He cried out in pain and was soon trying to break the grip the metal had on his hands._

" _You should've stayed out of this," Max said coldly. He started walking away from him when he heard a snap. The Beast had broken the reinforced steel and he soon ripped out the iron bar that wedged itself between the bones of his wrist. He held the bloodied piece of metal and threw it at Max - who couldn't dodge on time. It got lodged in his shoulder and he winced in pain, trying to pry it out - way slower than Beast Boy had. When it was out and his shoulder had closed, he dropped it and a_ *clang* _echoed in the lot._

" _Ok…" Max grumbled, his eyes turning a deep, dark, violet. "Now I'm mad…"_

 _The two charged at each other. After quite some time - and a_ lot _of internal conflict with himself - Beast Boy gained control of his forms once more, and took on his tiger form - only to be slammed to the ground by his throat. His ears started ringing, and his vision blurred with the tears that reminded him he was supposed to be in pain. He closed his eyes tightly as Max raised his fist. He heard a loud thud and he opened his weak eyes. Max was standing outside a protective barrier. The black color indicated that Raven had conjured it. With each punch Max threw at it, it barely moved. But as Beast Boy morphed back into his human form, a crack echoed throughout the shield. Where Max's fist last connected, it started to break. The more his fists beat down on the protective barrier, the more it started to crumble. Two punches later, he had completely broke the black shield and Beast Boy had nowhere left to run. Before he knew it, Robin was in front of him, battling Max in his place._

 _He had to stop it._

 _Max had Sara._

 _He jumped in front of Robin, hoping to stop the fight. But he only failed._

Beast Boy thought harder. " _What stood out…?"_ he thought to himself.

He remembered Max's parting words.

" _You know, I wanted to finish this before sunrise. But I guess I'll leave it at this."_

Beast Boy's brows furrowed together and he tried thinking of anything that might help him. " _Finish_ _ **what**_ … _?"_

He remembered Sara's words when they asked her about her hometown.

" _Let's just say I'm not on good terms with some of the people there…"_

Then his mind wandered to Max's first appearance in Sara's room.

" _What was so wrong with staying in Trimph!?"_

Beast Boy gasped in his seat and the others stared at him.

"Guys!" he said, "I think I know where Sara might be!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in Trimph…

Max had shut the door behind him and Sara, who walked into her old house, smiling in reminiscence.

The house was now almost completely unfurnished, though it still had _some_ traces of human life. The couch was still there, along with the kitchen table and two chairs. The coffee table in the living room was still shiny, as if dust had never collected on it before.

" _It must've been four months since I left…"_ Sara thought in confusion and curiosity. She ran her finger across the wooden kitchen table. " _How'd it stay this clean…?"_ she thought.

Max, who was staring at her back, said, "I still live here…" She turned around and met his gaze. She looked past him and saw a bow and a bag of arrows shrugged against the wall behind him. He followed her gaze and smiled to himself. "I still hunt in the woods." He turned back to her, "Trade meat for berries at the village market."

He took a seat on the sofa, to which she followed, sitting next to him. "Ever since your parents left, word spread throughout the town." He laughed a little and continued. "Some of the elders brought food down to me. I have about three more knitted blankets and scarfs if you need one."

She smiled softly at him.

A far away look returned to his face and his voice wavered as he said, "Nothing could replace you and your folks, though…"

Sara took his hand in hers and held it tightly. Her head found his shoulder as tears formed in his eyes.

"I can't believe I'm choking back tears," he laughed at his weak self.

Sara lifted her head to meet his wavering gaze.

He laughed through his tears. "The town's children depend on me - so do most of the elders…" His eyes met Sara's. "I'm supposed to be a kick-ass legend around here…" he said, his ironic smile fading.

He asked her, "… So why is it I crumble when I'm in front of you…?"

When Sara put her arm around his shoulder, he couldn't stop the tears from flowing out of his eyes.

They sat like that for a while, Max crying into Sara's shoulder, and Sara rubbing his back reassuringly.

Soon, Max fell into a deep slumber, and Sara held him gently, afraid he might break if she didn't.


	12. Flaky Romeo

Stealthy, lean, silent figures moved from shadow to shadow, hopping through the darkness. They had one goal in mind.

Trimph.

They were on their way when one figure with spiked hair spoke up. "Are you sure they're in here?"

"Dude, I'm sure," another answered back.

"Okay," they nodded to the other shadows and said, "On my lead. One," they saw the others nod. "Two," they moved their hand to the door knob. "Three!"

The door flung open with a *slam* and five figures piled into the room, weapons at their command. One waved their hand to the others, "Guys…"

The four other figures moved quickly, though silently, to a hooded friend. She motioned to the couch and they saw something they never thought they'd see.

There was a blanket over a sleeping Sara, whose head rested on Max's shoulder.

Their leader said, confused, "I don't get it… I thought he kidnapped her, why would-"

Before he could finish his sentence Max's eyes snapped open to reveal a bright green luster and in an instant he disappeared from their sights. The blanket moved from beneath him but quickly stopped, indicating he was now somewhere else in the room.

"Titans, be on your guard," the spiky figure said.

"…"

After a nerve-racking wait, Max refigured himself from behind Robin and shoved him into the wall. When his back slammed against the far side of the living room, the other Titans prepared for battle -

Max growled, "Enough!"

"Ugh!"

Only to be stopped and flung to the kitchen.

His hands were to both sides of him, his eyes a bright yellow, restraining the Titans.

"I'm not going to let you wreck this house," he said, his eyes mixing deep violet streaks in with its golden color. He flung his left hand to the blanket that was around Sara and wrapped Robin in it snugly from where he stood. Robin fell to the floor and struggled in his fluffy cocoon. Max looked to the Titans being holed up in the kitchen and ropes shot out, tying Cyborg and Starfire to the chairs; Beast Boy and Raven to the fridge.

"Mhm…"

He looked to the couch and saw Sara, scrunching her eyes together and reaching for the blanket that was no longer there. Max made his way over to her and reached out to touch the top of her head when Robin yelled to him. "Don't hurt her!"

Max stopped his hand short and stared at him. "I would never…" he said lowly- coldly. He walked to the end of the hall and an extra blanket flew to his palms. He slowly walked back to the living room and rested it across Sara's shoulders. A smile slowly worked its way across her face, and Max unconsciously smiled softly at her.

The tied-up Titans watched this scene unfold in shock, surprise, and/or amazement. Max turned to the intruders in the kitchen and said, "I planned on leaving this morning before she woke up. I was gonna let her be a Titan…" He turned to the shocked Robin and said sternly, "You people sure are persistent, I'll give you that."

"…"

"I can see why you'd want her on your side though…" Max smirked one more time at Sara. He chuckled to himself, "She's a pain in the ass otherwise."

When he looked to Robin again, the blanket that tied him together loosened, and draped over Sara once more. "Do me a favor," Max said, as the ropes in the kitchen fell to the floor. "Leave before she comes to." He looked at Sara and painfully smiled. "I don't want her to have anymore bad memories…"

Before anyone could say anything, a stern look took over his face and his eyes turned green. He disappeared from their sights in a flash.

"…" Everyone exchanged glances. Sara grumbled, making it clear she'd wake up in a matter of minutes.

Beast Boy looked to Robin and asked, "What do we do know?"

"…" He turned to Sara one last time before saying to everyone, "We do what he wanted."

Starfire interrupted, "But Robin-"

"No…" he said sternly, before heading to the door. "… She'll return on her own."

"…"

Everyone agreed in silence, and they all fled from the small house.

* * *

Once the Titans had left for the Tower, Sara grumbled herself awake to an empty house. Without Max. And without her fellow Titans.

She was _truly_ alone.

* * *

Back at Titans' Tower…

The five heroes had all engrossed themselves in their own activities, inattentive of when the door slid open.

Sara was standing in the entrance, awkwardly scratching the back of her head. "H… Hey, guys…"

Cyborg, who was playing videogames with Beast Boy on the couch, said, "Hey Sara, where've you been?"

She looked at them and went to the kitchen. "Just… Visiting and old friend…"

Starfire - who was painting her nails for tomorrow - asked, "Is this friend approximately five and ten twelfth foots tall?"

When Sara went to reach for the fridge door handle, her hand flinched. "Um…" she said, grabbing a water, "Yeah…"

Raven looked over the edge of the book she was reading and asked, raising an eyebrow, "Is he from your hometown?"

"…" Reluctantly, Sara said, walking over to her, "Yeah…"

Beast Boy was upside down on the couch with a videogame controller in his hands when he asked, "Is his name Max?"

"…" Sara's face heated at his name. "Yes…"

She continued to try and fight the blush climbing onto her face, but to no avail when Robin asked, "Did you sleep well?" with a smirk on his face.

She grew more embarrassed with every comment so she slammed her water bottle on the table. "Ok I know you guys were there but since when?!"

Starfire looked at her friend. She asked blankly, "What ever are you speaking of?"

"…" Sara grew annoyed being picked on and left the room saying, "I'm going to my room - see you at dinner!"

As soon as she left, the other Titans stopped what they were doing and bursted out laughing at her fleeing statement.

The laughter died down when the room filled with a red tint, and ringing echoed throughout the Tower. It was a different ringing, though, from the usual alerts. When Sara came tumbling out from the hallway, she asked frantically, "What's wrong?!" When she looked around the room, everyone had laidback expressions - except Robin, who was standing in front of the monitor.

"We're being threatened," he said.

Sara asked nervously, "By who?"

Robin's face scrunched together as he said, "Kid Flash…"

"…"

"…"

Robin was being stared at by the newest member, who immediately grew angry. "Are you kidding me!?" she yelled, flailing, "I left my room for this!?"

A breeze flew into the room - as well as a yellow and red blur. It made its way around the Tower at blinding speeds and grabbed the controller from Cyborg's hands.

"Hey!" he said.

In a matter of seconds, Cyborg's character had beaten Beast Boy's and the word "WINNER!" flashed on the screen.

"Hey!" Beast Boy whined.

It flew behind Raven making the pages flip randomly.

"Hey!" she growled.

The blur sped to the kitchen and along the way had messed us Starfire's nails, along with her hair.

"Mh!" she grumbled aloud.

The blur unblurred itself when it reached the fridge. "Phew, I am famished!" it said. "What's for dinner?"

Robin yelled at him, "Flash!"

"Hm?" When he turned to Robin, he saw a new girl standing next to him with her eyebrows furrowed and her arms crossed.

"Hey, you're cute," he said, smiling to himself. He smirked and sped over to them both.

"Um… Thanks?" It came out as a question more than an answer to all.

"The name's Kid Flash." He grabbed her hand and kissed it before introducing himself quickly. "Fusing with dangerous chemicals has its advantages," he smiled. "As of right now, I'm the fastest man alive. Which means…" Smirking devilishly, he let go of her hand and the blur vanished on the spot.

"…?" Sara asked everyone, "Is he always this… Flaky…?"

"Pretty much," Raven said.

The others all nodded in agreement.

When she looked up again, Kid Flash was in front of her, holding up a single red and yellow camellia. "For you," he said, bowing.

She cautiously took the flower from his hand and said, "Thank you…"

He stood up straight and said smiling, "It symbolizes lust and longingness in Japan." He cupped a hand around his mouth and whispered, "That's where I got it from." He turned on his heels and left Sara confused by his actions. "So," he said, "No one answered my question earlier so I'll ask it again. What's for dinner?"

When he plopped into a chair in the kitchen he leaned back comfortably in it, and Robin asked him, whilst rubbing his temples, "Flash, why're you here?"

He smirked and sat forward in his seat, laying his fist on the table. "I'll answer your questions if you answer mine." He rose an eyebrow at Robin. "What's for dinner, sweetheart?"

"Chicken," Robin growled angrily. "Now why're you here?"

Kid Flash tipped back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. "Well sweetcheeks, since the ball's tomorrow I figured I might as well crash here for the night."

Robin's eyes grew. "Oh no," he protested, "No no no. You're not staying here."

Kid Flash put on a hurt look. "Do you not… Like me, Robin?" he asked, whimpering.

Starfire patted his shoulder and asked sincerely - yet hopefully, "If we reply yes, will you depart?"

A dispirited look plastered itself on his face and he swatted her hand away. "Look I'm not asking to live here. I just need someplace to crash for the night." He turned to the other Titans and asked, "So are you still gonna turn me down?"

"…"

After exchanging looks with everyone else, Robin sighed. "Fine," he said. He raised a hand and stopped Kid Flash before he could yell 'yes' happily. He told him, "On one condition."

"Hrm." Flash's shoulder slumped noticeably at his remark.

"You have to leave right after the dance is done."

"Done," he smirked and shook Robin's hand.

"I guess I'll be sleepin' in her room tonight," Kid Flash pointed at Sara and continued, "'Cause to me it looks like there's no more guest rooms."

As he greedily rubbed his hands together and started walking towards Sara, Robin intercepted him by hooking the crook of his elbow around his neck.

"Ghk!"

Robin dragged him away as he said, "You're sleeping on the couch."


	13. Ker-thunk!

All was well in the Titans' Tower…

At least, everywhere except Starfire's room…

* * *

Star was running from dresser to dresser around her room, gathering "necessary" supplies for the Titans' Dance that was being held at City Hall that evening. Her two girl friends were sitting on the floor in front of her when she came to a sudden stop.

"Ooh," she squealed, dropping supplies on the floor, "And we must apply the stick for lips, and shade your eyes, and-"

"Starfire!"

"…?" She came to a sliding halt when Raven yelled to her. "Yes?" she asked.

"You're _not_ putting all that stuff on my face," she said sternly.

"…" Starfire's bottom lip curled upward and her eyes grew in size as her eyebrows knitted upwards. "You do not wish to be made over?"

"…" Raven cringed her eyes in attempt to avoid her gaze.

"Aw, come on Raven," Sara said, "Just a _little_ won't hurt, right?"

"…" Looking at the two of them one last time, Raven reluctantly sighed and said, "Fine."

"Yes!"

"Yay!" Star clapped and pushed Raven to sit on the floor. She sat in front of her reluctant friend and started applying makeup.

* * *

In the living room…

"No!"

"Oh yes!"

Beast Boy dropped to his knees when his spaceship blew up into a million pixelated pieces. Kid Flash danced happily, smiling the entire time. "I win!" he yelled happily.

Beast Boy rose to his feet and said hastily, "I wanna rematch - you cheated!"

"Did not!" he argued.

When Beast Boy got closer to him he yelled angrily, "Did too!"

The two growled at each other before they got interrupted by Robin. "Uhh… Guys?" he said.

When they turned their heads to him, they saw he was in a black tuxedo, fixing the watch that rested on his wrist. He stared at the two of them - who were both in casual clothing. "The dance starts in ten minutes…" he said.

"…"

Their faces dropped and they ran around the Tower in hope of finding their stuff. Robin rolled his eyes and yelled to Beast Boy, who was scrambling down the hall, "It's hanging up in your closet."

He heard a faint "Thanks dude!" before Cyborg walked in.

After looking around the room he asked, "Where's BB?"

Robin told him, "Trying to cram into his suit so we can leave on time."

* * *

The male portion of the Titans were now ready…

"…"

 _Some_ more patient than others.

"It's been… Ten, minutes…" Kid Flash said sluggishly as his foot tapped on the floor. "I'm boooard!" he complained.

Beast Boy sighed at him, "Look, if you're gonna go with us you might as well stop whining."

"I can't help it!" he said, "They're taking for _ever!"_

"Ugh…" Beast Boy rolled his eyes and the boys heard a _*click*_.

"Finally!" Kid Flash said impatiently, staring down the hallway. He was soon taken aback when he saw the girls. His voice dropped an octave as he said, wide eyed, "Woah…"

Sara had a one-strap, navy blue dress on that dropped below her knees, waving faintly around her shins. It sparkled dimly in the light, and a matching blue collar fit snuggly on her neck. A light pink coat of lipgloss was spread across her thin lips, as well as black nail polish underneath a layer of blue sparkles on her fingers. A white headband pulled back her usually gauche dirty blonde hair and you could see more of her face now.

Kid Flash blushed unconsciously as he stared at her. "You look hot…" he said with his eyebrows raised.

Apparently, he was surprised Sara could _actually_ look like a girl. Her eyebrows scrunched together and she said, "I didn't need to hear that from _you_ …"

His blush faded quickly and a smirk took its place. "Hee…" he grinned toothily.

Robin was the next to stare when Starfire stepped out after her.

She had on a floor length rose colored dress, and even though it wasn't strapless, it displayed her chest nicely - but still wasn't _too_ revealing. She smiled softly and revealed her pearly white teeth, which made the thin layer of pink lip gloss on her lips more noticeable. She wore white flats that matched the stripe on her dress, which wrapped around her waist. She blushed heavily.

"Robin," Starfire started, bringing him back to reality. She blushed deeper before saying, "You are staring at me…"

As much as he wanted to stop, he couldn't, and his cheeks flushed as well. "Starfire…" he said quietly.

Raven's black dress stopped just above her knees, and had dark purple accents surrounding her waist and chest levels. Her arms hugged her body snugly and securely, and her head turned away from everyone; but you could still see the violet lipstick she wore, which contrasted nicely to the light indigo eyeshadow she had on. A bracelet that consisted of black pearls connected and rested on her wrist, matching her jet black high heels. A black barrette had pulled back some of her purple hair and revealed her usually-covered face.

Beast Boy stared in awe and blushed heavily. "Wow…" he managed to get out, which made her turn to look at him.

"What?" she asked, starting to feel self-conscious.

"You… Yo-…"

It wasn't until Cyborg elbowed him and mumbled, "Say somethin', man!" did he form _actual_ words.

He swallowed hard and said sheepishly, "You look beautiful…"

 _*ker-thunk*_

That same nagging feeling resonated in Raven, though she tried to brush it aside. "… Thanks…" she mumbled incoherently - though Beast Boy heard her just fine.

He held out his hand to her - that still had a cast resting on his wrist. "Shall we go?" he asked happily.

She slowly and softly took his hand and they walked to the door. They were soon followed by Robin and Starfire, linking arms happily, and Cyborg in between Kid Flash and Sara - on her request.

* * *

When the Titans arrived at City Hall, some of the _other_ Titans had already arrived. It wasn't just for the seven of them, as that was soon made clear when they saw Speedy, Aqualad, Bumblebee, and all of the other honorary Titans!

The mayor gasped happily once he saw them walk through the door. "The Teen Titans have arrived!" he clapped, smiling, as a spotlight had found the seven teens that stood in the doorway.

As the clapping and cheering died down, a familiar figure made its way across the dance floor.

"Hey sparky," Bumblebee said, stopping infront of Cyborg. She smiled. "Boy, you sure look spiffy," she mocked.

"Yeah," he answered back, "And your gold dress makes you look magnificent," he bowed his head sarcastically at her. She laughed at him and they left together.

When music started, Starfire smiled brightly and tugged on her date's arm. "Come!" she told Robin, "We must move to the rhythmic music before it ends!"

His face softened and he followed her.

Just as Raven started to sit down at a nearby table, Beast Boy had stopped her short. "Wanna dance?" he asked her softly, extending his hand to her.

 _*ka-plunk* *ker-thunk*_

With one hand she held her chest to stop whatever it was that was ruffling her, and with the other she accepted his outstretched limb.

His smile brightened when she stood up, and he pulled her towards the center of the room. Though they had to shuffle in between dancing couples, it was all worth it when they slowed to a stop and stared at each other. Smiling, Beast Boy pulled her closer with an arm that wrapped around her waist. When she stiffened unconsciously, his smile softened. His hand that was in a protective cast made his way to hers, and her other gravitated to his shoulder. They started swirling to the music around them, oblivious to their surroundings. The world faded to black and the spotlight was on them.

 _*ker-thunk*_

Raven's expression clouded over in her mind when she felt the same thing she felt all this week. What _was it_ that had her mind in a fluster? She couldn't pinpoint it exactly, but it wasn't a _bad_ feeling, per se. Just an annoying one.

Her mind was brought back to reality when she heard Beast Boy mumble.

She looked at him and asked, "What's wrong?"

He looked up at her and smiled. "Nothing…" He then resumed staring at the ground as his grip on her waist had tightened.

"One. Two. Three…" he mumbled.

Raven's eyebrows knitted upwards and a smile tugged at her lips as she watched this little shorty count steps to the only dance he knew. When she let out a small laugh, he looked up and stared at her curiously. "What…?" he asked.

She turned her head away from his and said, "Nothing…"

She heard him grumble and another small laugh escaped her throat. "Hmp…"

* * *

Across the room, Sara was leaning against the wall, smiling softly as she watched her five friends dance happily.

"…"

But then…

Her ears twitched and her eyes went wide. "…!"

She started walk/running in search for the fire escape that led to the roof.

* * *

The voice that had cut through the air had said arrogantly, " _Guess who's come to play, sweetheart…"_

* * *

Meanwhile, on the balcony of the ballroom…

"'re we goin' for a big entrance?" a well-built person asked questioningly.

"You know what they say." A short figure that stood on four metallic legs next to him said evilly, "Go big or go home."


	14. The Waltz

Racing to the rooftop as fast as she could, she managed to stumble on her dress along the way - which ripped partially at her shins. " _Curse this dress!"_

Tearing off the ripped material, her elegant dress was now four inches shorter than it was when she bought it, and now ended above her knees. She discarded the fabric and kept running. When she slammed the door open, she panted, now out of breath. She stared at the back of a man she knew very well.

Out of breath, she asked, "Why… Are you, here…?" she said, now standing straight upwards, with her chest puffed out.

"Relax sweetheart," he said turning around. When he did so, his sparkling blue eyes became visible, and his leather jacket that hung on his shoulders glistened in the moonlight. "I just came to talk," he said.

When he took a second look at her, his face changed dramatically. With a _*poof*_ his face took on a new shade of red and all he could do was blink, skimming her profile. She heard him gulp as she met his gaze and raised an eyebrow.

He choked out, "You sure clean up good…" His voice partially cracked at the end of his sentence and he had to cough in order to clear his throat.

"Gee. Thanks…" Though she said this, she meant to mock him and make it a sting.

He didn't frankly care enough to retort, though.

She asked him again, "Now why're you here?"

Blinking repeatedly, he grumbled "Nhm…" as he rubbed his eyes with his palms confusingly and tried to snap out of the trance she had him under. Once his blush vanished, he skimmed his memories in search of the answer to her question. "…" After a while, he asked himself, "Why was I here again…?"

He said it a little too loudly, and Sara started walking towards him. "Don't mess with me," she said lowly, anger lacing in her voice.

Max snapped his fingers. "Oh, I remember!" He turned to her and said, "You owe me a dance!"

"…" One of Sara's cheeks scrunched and she said to him, "Haaah…?"

He leaned his elbows against the railing behind him and smirked. "When we were kids you promised to dance with me once I learned how to waltz." His smirk turned into an arrogant one. "I learned," he raised an eyebrow cockyly at her and her face softened.

"You remember that…?" she asked him, her shoulders relaxing.

Max's smirk faded and he smiled at her. "Well yeah, I- …" He stopped whatever he was going to continue to say and sighed. "I remember everything… Remember…?" When he told her this, his face didn't show any traces of remembrance or nostalgia which was previously there. Instead, it was a gloomy look of melancholy. She went to walk towards him, but was interrupted by a crumbling noise and the roof began to shake.

"Eek!" Sara lost her footing.

"…!"

Acting quickly, Max managed to catch her before she fell. When the shaking stopped, Sara let go of Max's shirt. "What was that?" she asked.

"I don't know," Max answered.

They looked at each other. Both of their eyebrows furrowed together. After quickly nodding to each other, they both ran for the staircase.

* * *

When the two of them reached ground level, they saw a wicked sight.

The dance floor was in pieces. The crystal ball that hung from the ceiling previously was now broken and dim, lodged into Aqualad's stomach, who lay unconscious on the floor. Speedy was groaning in defeat - in the punch bowl. BumbleBee had been thrown into the turntables, which were now in two. All the civilians had already left. All of the Titans looked like they had been thrown through the wringer. Like they were discarded by an almighty god.

Then, the _worst_ sight imaginable floated to Sara's eyes.

 _Her_ Titans were all on either side of the room in shambles. She managed to run over to Beast Boy, who lay on the ground on his stomach. He winced in pain as she turned him over. She held his face in her trembling hands and asked him shakily, "Beast Boy… What happened…?"

His eyes barely opened and he whispered weakly, "Hi… e…"

"What?" she asked, leaning closer to him.

"Hive… Five…"

Her eyes grew in size as he closed his again.

A voice brought her back to her senses and her head snapped to the balcony. It was Gizmo. He was laughing menacingly at her. "Ya like what I've done with the place?"

Her clenched teeth twitched angrily and she fought the tears that harbored in her eyes.

"I still couldn't believe it myself," he said, smiling. "They all fell pretty quickly."

She growled and stood up. "Don't think I'll do the same," she said, fire surrounding her.

He raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. "Hmph…" he chuckled.

She felt four more bodies circle her. She knew who it was by the way they each cut threw the wind. She thought to herself, " _Jinx… Mammoth… See-More… And, Billy…"_

The fury in her eyes grew as she stared at Gizmo. She growled lowly over her shoulder, "Max…?"

"Yeah?" he asked, readying himself into a battle stance - his back against hers.

She asked him, "Ready for that waltz?"

"Hmph," he smirked as he stared at Mammoth. "I thought you'd never ask."

When he felt her weight shift on the floor, he charged at the behemoth infront of him. She jumped to the sky and he bolted towards Mammoth. Max's speed caught him off guard and in a flash Mammoth was on his back, flat on the ground. Max moved onto See-More, who didn't make haste with shooting a freeze beam at him. He was frozen in solid ice and See-More smirked at him. He started walking towards the Maxicle but stopped and took a half step backwards when he saw his eyes flush dark orange- his skin now shades of red. As seconds passed, he was unmelted from his arms down.

"Cold cold cold!" he shivered at the ice that held his waist.

Sara screamed from across the room, "Quit screwing around!" before shooting fireballs at Billy Numerous.

"I'm not!" he yelled back, as he shook off the last bit of ice from his ankle. "Ugh," he said disgusted. He looked down at himself, who was now completely soaked. His uncomfort turned to anger and his eyes bolted to See-More.

His gulp was heard by almost everyone.

Max's eyes turned green and he disappeared from sight. When he reappeared, See-More was already on the floor. Mammoth ran over to him and took a swing. Grabbing him by the wrist, Max flung him into the air towards Sara- who saw him and kicked him to the floor straight in his gut. Max vanished again and was on the balcony in a matter of moments.

"Hee!" He had startled Gizmo, and in the process had used his spider legs to crawl across the walls to the other room.

Max sighed, "Great, more running." He held up his hand as his eyes turned yellow, which made Gizmo skid to a halt on the far wall. Max flung his arm down and Gizmo was sent crashing to the ground. His backpack sparked and the world swirled around him. Sara, who was battling Jinx up until now, was flying straight for Max.

"Switch!" she said, high-fiving him before flying off to Mammoth.

"Switch…?"

When Max moved his gaze from his hand to directly in front of him, Jinx's fist was inches away from him. "Eep!" He ducked and she smashed into the wall behind him, shattering it to pieces. She struggled to free her fist, but somehow managed.

"Ok," she grumbled, shaking out her aching hand, "No more funny business, boy…" She jumped above the running Max and flung a hex bolt at him; Just as someone walked out from the bathroom.

It was Kid Flash.

He was apparently preoccupied this whole time, and now looked at the room that was in shambles. "Woah…" he gasped in shock as he surveyed the area. Then, his eyes landed on a pink haired girl, who was jumping in the air, flinging hex bolts at his friends. A bright smile replaced his previously remorseful face; his eyes sparkled. Once she landed, he super sped to where she was crouched, one leg stretched behind her, and the other tucked under her compacted slim figure.

He smoothed out his hair and introduced himself to the beauty. "Hi there! Fastest man alive- secret identity Wally West." He leaned closer to her and winked, saying, "But you can call me, anytime." His eyebrows raised and descended, implying it to be flirtatious.

"Uhk," Jinx rolled her eyes before sending him flying with one of her hex bolts.

After he split the table that held snacks in two with his back, he said to her, amazed, "Wow, you sure know how to demand authority!" He ran over to her once again, who had managed to fling Sara across the floor. "So," he started, "What're you doin' after this?"

She sighed and stood up straight. "Look, kid, you're cute and all but-"

"I know," Kid Flash rolled his tongue seducingly at her, suggesting something sexual.

Her eyes squinted and she told him, "Scratch that."

Whilst she was momentarily distracted, Sara managed to throw a fireball at her which sent her flying across the room. "Flash!?" Sara cried out.

"Yeees?" he asked.

"Help us!"

"Oh," Kid Flash smiled, "Right."

He surrounded See-More and created an air-tight vacuum around him. Soon, he was out of oxygen and fell unconscious. Mammoth grabbed Max by the shirt and raised him above the ground, preparing to punch him.

"Augh!" He released him, though, when a scorching pain burned into his back. Sara was standing behind him, fireball in hand. She smirked at him, and Gizmo silently took her neck in the crook of his elbow.

" **Enough!** "

Max dropped the now-unconscious Billy that was previously in his grasp when he heard Gizmo scream.

He held his other hand next to her head.

Max's blood ran cold when he saw what he was holding.

"I didn't come here to play," he said. When Max took a step forward, a _*click*_ echoed in the room. "Take one more step and I'll shoot," he warned.

Gizmo was holding a gun to Sara's head.

Max couldn't move or else she'd die.

And Kid Flash was getting nowhere with Jinx.


	15. Flustered Much?

Max broke into a cold sweat as he saw the co-leader of the Hive hold a gun to his childhood friend's head. When he attempted to take a step forward, he cocked the gun and his hand rested on the trigger. Max's trembling fear was soon replaced with boiling anger.

"…" He swallowed dryly at his opponent's moves.

"Heh," Gizmo laughed. "Chicken much?"

Max asked him seriously, "You told me to stay still, didn't you?"

He smirked at this remark. "Yeah." He asked teasingly, "What're you gonna do about it?"

Max shook his head, still in his readied stance. "I'm not going to do anything."

Sara looked at him with wide eyes, "Max-"

When she stared at him, she thought she saw his eyes flicker a light green. All her fear vanished. It was his way of signaling her it was going to be all right.

His eyes moved to Kid Flash and he screamed, "Wally!"

Gizmo was thrown for a lapse and he didn't have time to react before Kid Flash had snatched the gun from his grasp and Max vanished.

"Wha-!?"

He tried to process what was going on, but didn't have time to before he was punched in the gut by a violet-eyed Max. He fell to the floor with a _*thud*_ and Max ripped out all of his metallic spider legs individually. He cried out and told him not to, but Max didn't listen.

When all was said and done, Max grabbed him by the collar and raised him to eye level. He growled lowly through gritted teeth, "You wanna pull that shit next time I come here?"

In response, Gizmo shook uncontrollably, his eyes filling with fear. Max said, "Good," before personally loading him into the police car Kid Flash had called.

"So, I'll call you?" he asked Jinx, who was being hauled away.

She rolled her eyes at him and said beggingly, "Please don't."

"Got it," he said smiling, "So a date tomorrow, at three!" He winked before the truck pulled away.

The authorities had managed to gather all of the fallen heroes and load them in different cars, depending on which section they were from.

Looking at her smiling friend, Sara told him, "You learned how to waltz pretty well."

He snickered at her and smiled toothily. He asked her, smirking devilishly, "Was it the best dance you've _**ever**_ been to?"

She shoved his shoulder with her own and said, mockingly, "It was the _only_ dance I've ' _ever_ been to'."

He gave one last smile before his expression clouded over. "So, you're gonna stay here?"

She looked behind herself to the car that held her friends. They managed to get away with minor bruising and cuts after they were all treated. Now, the five lay peacefully in the car; Starfire, slumped on Robin's shoulder - with her head tucked under his chin; Beast Boy, lying down in Raven's lap; And Cyborg, snoring loudly against the windshield.

She smiled softly and said, turning back to him, "Yeah… I think I'll be ok…"

"Okay," Max said, putting his hands behind his head. "Your loss…" Before leaving he ruffled her hair and told her, smiling cockyly, "And to think, you couldda had a _real_ dance with me."

She stuck out her tongue and watched him walk away, his hands in his pockets, as his skin cells changed color and he blended into his surroundings. Soon, he disappeared from her view altogether. She smiled nostalgically as the same scene from six years ago replayed in her mind.

Shaking her head internally, she walked towards her friends, who now started to wake up from the anesthesia.

She didn't even see the pair of blue eyes sadly watching her from the shadows.

* * *

It was dark and eerie. A faint buzzing echoed from far off into the distance. Then, she heard her name being called faintly.

"en… ven… Raven-"

She awoke with a start when she realized Beast Boy was calling out to her lightly. She sat up and her head ached. "Augh," she grabbed onto her head as the room started spinning.

"Woah!" She felt a hand on her shoulder, which was trying to make her lie back down. "You shouldn't get up just yet," Beast Boy told her.

After she was back on the comfy bedspread she asked, "Where am I?"

He smiled grimly at her. "The infirmary… The Hive crashed our dance, 'member?"

She thought for a minute before saying, "Yeah… I remember…"

He smiled softly and she felt something retrain her wrist. When she looked down, she saw Beast Boy had been holding her hand tightly. When he noticed it himself, he quickly let go and a rose blush creeped its way onto his cheeks. "S-Sorry…" he said panically. He rubbed his nose with his other hand and turned away from her. "Everyone else had already woken up, and you just weren't waking up, so…"

She ignored his explanation and let her eyes wander to his wrist. It was battered and beaten. His knuckles had already clotted his blood from the previous battle. Black and blue bruises bubbled to the surface of his green skin around his wrists, indicating he was probably held up by them angrily. He noticed she was staring at him, so he turned his attention back to her. "What?" he asked nervously, whilst smiling.

"Your hand," she said stoically.

This time his tone was more confused. "What-?"

Before he could say anything else, she grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to her. He had to stretch out his other hand to the right of her body to keep himself from falling on top of her. When his tightly-shut eyes opened again, Raven's hand was glowing faintly, hovering over his injured wrist. She was so close to him he could hear her heartbeat. His heart started beating faster when he realized how close she truly was to him. When her hands wandered to behind his ears - in order to heal a bruise behind his temples - he had to choke down the purr that was about to escaped his throat. He couldn't stop it in time, though, because Raven's hand soon flinched and she pulled back. He blushed heavily before standing up hastily. "W-Well thanks for healing me!" he smiled toothily and scratched the back of his head. "S-see you!"

He started to leave when she grabbed his now-healed wrist. "Wait," she told him.

There weren't many traces of softness or comfort in her voice, but there _were_ distinct hints of annoyance and irritation. He gulped quietly to himself and faked his best smile. "W… What's wrong?"

She stared at him sternly, "You tell me." She slowly let go of his wrist and he stood next to her bed.

"Nothing's wrong…" he answered softly.

"Yes, there is," she started, "For some reason you're getting flustered."

"No," he said agitated, "Maybe… Maybe _**you're**_ getting flustered!"

Her face turned sour. "Beast Boy-"

"I-I gotta go!"

Before she could stop him he was already out the door and down the hall. Raven sighed to herself and she picked up her cloak that was hanging on a rack next to her. Once it was on, she pulled up her hood and left her room, heading towards her room.


	16. Awkward

All of her fellow Titans were in the common room, laughing together, when she walked in.

"Hey sleepin' beauty," Cyborg said happily.

"… Hi…"

She was being stared at by all four of them.

"…"

 _Four?_

When she looked around the room again, she couldn't find Beast Boy.

As she was just about to ask them about it, Robin asked her first. "So, where's Beast Boy?"

"What?" she asked surprised.

"He was so eager to see you wake," Starfire started, "He spent the evening in the infirmary."

She was taken aback by her friend's declaration. Sara looked at her and asked, skeptically, "So, where _**is**_ Beast Boy?"

Raven told her, "I thought he was in here."

"…"

Everyone fell silent and Raven grew impatient. "Well, if he's not here, then where is he?"

An unsettling tranquility fell over the room once again, and Raven said irritatedly, "I'll be in my room."

* * *

Meanwhile, with Beast Boy…

" _Ok, relax…"_ Beast Boy put a hand to his chest, trying to settle his racing pulse.

"…"

After a moment he sighed angrily and thrashed his arms to the sky, "This isn't working!"

He exhaled the rest of his uneasiness and tried a different approach. His actions were futile, seeing that whenever he tried to distract himself, his mind wandered back to Raven and how close she was to him. He still remembered her sweet, distinct scent. It was no sooner than he thought that did his blood flow increase, which made his nether regions get _**very**_ uncomfortable.

"Aw man…" he muttered to himself.

A knock on his door brought him back to reality - to his room.

He asked timidly, "Who is it?" - even though he could smell her from behind the door.

"It's me," she answered back, with a hint of anger in her voice. "Can you open the door now?"

He squirmed on his bed uncomfortably and yelled back, "Now's not a good time." Her face twisted behind the door even more. "Can you come back later?" he asked, hoping she would say yes.

Raven sighed and told him, "Beast Boy, whatever this is, you need to talk about it with me. Otherwise I can't help you come up with a solution."

"No," he mumbled to himself, "You don't want to know what the solution is…"

Raven grew annoyed with him and threatened, "Beast Boy, if you don't open this door I'll do it myself!"

He got up and told her, "Fine!"

When he entered the passcode for his room, the door slid open and revealed Raven, who was tapping her foot angrily. He saw her figure and had immediately slammed the door.

"Beast Boy!" Raven yelled angrily.

He hadn't planned to, but when he saw her, he instantly knew what he would try to pull. And he knew for a _fact_ it wouldn't end in his favor.

"Well, I opened the door," he said happily. He started walking away when he said, "If you could just catched me tomorrow that'd be-"

A _*thump*_ echoed in his room and he turned around to see Raven, panting, with her fist outstretched in front of her. His door lay on the floor and he realized she broke the hinges of it - and she _didn't_ use her powers.

"Eep!" he turned into a mouse and scurried to his bed, bolting under the covers, trembling.

Raven followed him, however, and she flung his sheets back. He looked over his shoulder and forced himself to change back when he saw how angry she was. She looked as if she could kill him in a moment's notice.

He avoided her piercing gaze and said nervously, lying on his back, "H… Hey…"

At this point in time she didn't even try to mask her frustration. "Beast Boy!?" she said angrily, "What is _with_ you?!"

He turned his head to the side and mumbled incoherently, "Why do you care all of a sudden?"

She plopped down next to him and sighed, her hands glowing black. She put the door upright on its hinges and it clicked, indicating it was now able to lock again.

"Beast Boy," she started, "I want to help you out of whatever it is you're dealing with. And I'm sure Robin and Cyborg could-"

He bolted up in his bed when she tried to include the other Titans - especially **them**. "NO!" he said. When he saw her give him a baffled look, he cleared his throat. "Please, don't bring the others into this," he asked, more seriously.

"Bring them into _what?"_ Raven asked. You could see her raised eyebrow even though her hood shaded her face.

He realized what he just said and looked away from her, his face slightly flushed. "N.. Nothing…" he mumbled.

Raven looked at him, "Beast Boy," she sighed, "I know I shouldn't ask this, but now I think I have to."

He turned back to look at her and she continued. "How are you with taking care of your sexual desires?"

With a _*poof!*_ his face turned a crimson red and his body heated up. "W-W-What does _that_ mean?!"

"You want a deeper explanation?" Raven questioned him seriously.

"N-No!" he said, a little too loudly. "I-It's just- Why would you ask that!?" he said frantically.

"Well, I pick up on your feelings. In between fake smiles and sincere laughter, I start picking up on other things like lust and desire; sexual cravings."

It was bad enough for him that she was _explaining_ it to him, but to have **her** of all people to figure him out? That was just not fair.

"So?" she pressed on. She asked seriously, "Did you just hit puberty or something?"

He felt like he wanted to crawl into a hole and stay there forever. But the best he could manage was to hide from her under his sheets.

"No." His grumbling was muffled by the blankets over his head.

Raven thought for a minute before asking, "Then… Are you in heat?"

"…!"

His body flushed again and his face got hotter. Even though he was embarrassed beyond all reason, he knew he couldn't really avoid her from knowing - despite the barrier between them. She would just sense it.

She peaked her head forward and stared at the top of the covers.

"Beast Boy…?" she asked softly.

Her scent got stronger as it rafted into his nose and he just couldn't take it anymore.

"Fine!" he yelled, throwing the sheets over his head.

She was taken aback by his sudden hostility as he continued. "You wanna know what's wrong with me!?" he yelled. He grabbed her by her wrist and held it against him.

"…!" Her hand flinched when she touched the hard member that resided in the lower half of his uniform.

" _This_ is what's wrong," he said seriously. "Anytime you're around me, _this_ happens!"

Releasing her wrist, he folded his arms across his chest, closed his eyes, and sighed angrily. "Aah… You're really putting me in binds here," he told her.

"…"

"…?" He found her silence oddly disturbing so he opened an eye to look at her. When he did, he saw her hand was shaking as she reached for his folded arms. He quickly unfolded them when she touched him, afraid of what she was going to do.

But, _her_ next move shocked _him_. She took his hand gently and placed it on her chest. He felt her heartbeat through her clothes.

It was beating almost as fast as his was.

"…"

Her hood was up, but she was visibly blushing. She told him, "When _you're_ around **me** , _this_ happens…"

After he stared at her in shock, she hung her head and told him, " _ **Idiot**_."

She quickly got up from his bed and headed for the door when he stopped her by tugging on her arm. "W-Wait!" he said frantically.

"…"

She went to turn around, but something stopped her. He had pulled on her arm too hard, and she fell backwards-

"…!?"

"…!"

Right into his lap.

Now, they were _extremely_ close to each other. Raven squirmed in his arms that now embraced her. A dim _*ker-thunk*_ echoed in her chest once more, and she tried to calm her racing heart beat. She was worried that he would see her face, as it was now red, since in all the commotion her hood managed to fall down.

From behind her, Beast Boy was trying to control his lower half from rising against her - though it already was. Her distinct aroma was surrounding him, mixing with his own. He tried to calm the animal urges that resided from within him for her sake.

It didn't really work well, or else his head wouldn't be nuzzled into the back of her neck at that moment in time. When he breathed in deeply, it tickled Raven and sent goosebumps throughout her heating body. Strong emotions of love and lust emanated off of him - stronger than it was all day.

After staying like that for a minute, she called out his name, her voice containing both passion and fear. "B-Beast Boy," she said shakily.

"Hm?" He moved his head from her neck to her ear, nibbling it softly. She let out a quiet yelp in shock, to which she soon covered her mouth. He smirked at her. He wanted so badly to tease her, but managed to resist.

"…!"

Well, to an extent.

He nuzzled his head back into the side her neck, but this time, he dragged his tongue from the nape of her neck to the beginning of her earlobe. She shut her eyes tightly and her body tensed unconsciously. Her eyes snapped open when he moved her cloak aside and pulled lightly on her leotard, exposing her shoulder. When he kissed it passionately, something in her mind click.

This time, she **wasn't** going to let it slide. This wasn't him getting aroused - this was him trying to get _her_ aroused.

She tried her best to lightly push him back with her powers, but - by accident - she had flung him against the headboard of his bed. He let out a small grunt of pain and opened his tightly shut eyes. When he looked at her, her eyes were filled with fear and distress and she unmistakably shook. Every ounce of lust disappeared from his body and was soon filled with regret. "Raven-"

She gathered herself quickly and fled the room, not looking back in the slightest.

"Raven!" he called out as she left hastily. But she was soon gone, and he feared for the worst.

He didn't have much time to reflect on himself, though, because Robin soon knocked on his door and told him, "Beast Boy, we're doing training outside today."

He cleared his throat and yelled through the door, "Ok, I'll be there in ten."

When he shrugged on his training uniform, all he could think about was Raven and how she must feel to have himself be pushed on her. The door to his room slid open, and he walked to the training course whilst wallowing in his own ignorance.


	17. I'm a Guy!

It was a beautiful day outside the Titans' Tower. The birds were singing and the sky was blue. The only thing that bothered the atmosphere was -

"…"

The large cloud that hung over Beast Boy's head, which stormed down on him infuriatingly.

He was in the worst mood possible and had destroyed the course completely when it was his turn. He had beaten Robin's record of three minutes and twenty-eight seconds with an astounding two minutes and fifty-four seconds. When his teammates had gone to congratulate him, his face was scrunched up and he looked like he hadn't slept in weeks - even though he got a perfect ten hours last night.

"Thanks…" was all he could muster.

Their happy celebratory smiles were replaced instantly and they all nodded and shrugged awkwardly in return. When they retreated they had circled around one another, whispering amongst themselves.

"What's wrong with Beast Boy?" Sara asked.

"I don't know," Robin answered.

"Did someone we don't know die?" Cyborg offered the worst.

Starfire added, shaking her head, "I believe he would have informed us."

Sara asked, "Well then, what happened?"

Robin thought for a minute and said, "We haven't seen him at all since Raven woke up. Not even for lunch."

Cyborg said, "Ok, but who's going to ask _her_ what went down?"

The group looked over to Raven, who was sitting down on a large rock. One of her legs was crossed over the other, and it shook violently. She looked both impatient and irritated at the same time. Her hood was pulled over her head, but they could use their imaginations and say there was a scowl underneath.

Cyborg brought everyone back to their group. "She seems a little… Testy, don't you think?"

"Perhaps she has failed the test?" Starfire offered.

"No," Robin shook his head and stood straight. When the others followed his example, he said, "I don't know what happened, but whatever it was - it's between the two of them."

"Ok." Sara nodded. Everyone else agreed silently.

"So!" Robin clapped his hands loudly and their small group dispersed. He walked over to Raven and said, "You're up next."

He smiled as brightly as he could and she stood up abruptly, which startled Robin. "Thanks…" she mumbled over her shoulder as she strut towards the starting line. It counted down from ten. Once it reached one, she pulled downwards on her hood and "GO!" flashed in front of her.

In a split second she bobbed and weaved through the course; with ease. She took out the wooden targets and walls in her path. She was beating each part of the course with ease - even faster than Beast Boy had done before her. She was about to set a record for both her personal best, _and_ the all-Titans' record.

But just as she neared the last burst, she failed to notice the earthy avalanche downpouring in front of her path. It had started to come down on her rapidly. She quickly managed to slow to a stop as the tumbling earth blocking her path threatened to flatten her completely. Her eyes went wide with terror and she heard a shout from ahead.

" **Move!** "

Beast Boy had seen the rocks long before her and was nearing where she stood. He jumped on her and they fell to the ground with a thud. The rocks felt heavy as they crushed the two of them together. And just when they thought they were goners -

"Raugh!"

Sara was lifting the large debris off of them with her powers in attempt to dig them out, along with her teammates' help.

With all four of them digging, they reached Beast Boy's back quickly.

His uniform had been ripped and cut, exposing his bare skin - which was fresh with the blood that rose to the surface. He flipped to his back with a groan and revealed his stomach, exposing it to the Titans.

It wasn't as bad physically as the scratches on his back, but it wasn't _not_ shredded, either.

Raven could only blink. She was still in shock that the events that just happened, _just happened._ It wasn't until she heard Beast Boy let out a small groan of pain when he tried to sit up beside her did she register he saved her life. She quickly sat up and knelt next to him. "Beast Boy…!" She put her hand on his chest and he tried to push it away lightly.

His smile was weakened by his discomfort. "I'm glad you're ok," he said softly, lightly laughing as he tried sitting up again.

"Ngh!" He couldn't make it to bending his knees before the agony caught up with him and he unconsciously let it show on his face as he clenched his teeth.

Raven frantically asked him, "Where does it hurt?" She lit her hands and they glowed a faint blue as she went to touch his thigh. "I can-"

He held her by her wrist and he stared at her intently. "I'm ok," he said, trying to be as straightforward and serious as he could be.

She tried retorting. "But-"

He cut her off mid-sentence and stood on his own; slowly. He smiled again, this time from the depths of his heart. "Rae, I'm fine. See?" He shook out his legs one at a time to prove to her he was able to move them correctly and with ease. When he had gotten up, dust and dirt fell from his uniform and he looked down at himself. "Heh heh… Oops…" he said childishly, grinning. He turned to Robin and asked, "Is it ok if I go wash these?"

With an approving nod, Beast Boy walked away from all of them and headed back towards the tower. Cyborg asked the group, "So now what? We keep going?"

Robin shook his head, "I was the only other one who still had to go. I'll do it tomorrow morning instead."

Starfire asked him, "May we return to our home?"

He smiled and nodded. "Sure."

* * *

He was now in the laundry room in sweatpants and a tshirt, waiting by the washing machine, waiting for his uniform to wash out the remaining filth.

Whilst cursing to himself.

He muffled his swear words by covering his mouth with his hands, screaming into them. There was no major damage to him; just a few scratches - though he figured his body would be sore in the morning. Something that combined a growl and a grumble crawled its way up his throat and he dragged his hands across his face. They stopped, clamping on his nose, and he mumbled another swear word to himself before dropping them.

He tapped his foot against the ground impatiently and ran through that day's events in his head.

" _I should've never did that to her…"_ he told himself. He scoffed at his actions and thought, " _She probably hates me now."_

The washing machine slowed to a stop and he bent over to get his cleaned suit. He was just about to put it in the dryer when he heard a voice behind him.

"Beast Boy…"

"…!" His shoulders jumped and it took him a while before he pushed them back down. He relaxed and said to her - without turning around, "Hey…"

Figuring he would jump her again if he looked at her, he restrained himself from turning his head around.

Her eyebrows twisted and she let out a sigh. "I'm sorry…"

"…"

Beast Boy's eyes grew wide and his ear twitched unnoticably. "What…?" he asked.

She took a step towards him, leaning against one of the appliances behind her. She crossed her arms, frustrated with herself. She said again, "I'm sorry."

His arms that held his uniform flinched, causing some of the water it held to drip onto his bare feet. When he felt the water droplets, he regained his composure and opened the door to the dryer. After putting it into the machine, he said, nonchalantly, "For what?"

She mumbled quietly, "For you having to save me…"

The dryer door shut loudly and his hand froze on the controls. "What…?" he stood up straighter.

She fidgeted in her spot a little and continued. "If I didn't try rushing through the course, I would've noticed the rocks sooner, or-"

When she looked up, she stopped talking and stared at Beast Boy. His face showed a slight annoyed look to it, along with confusion.

She sighed again and said, "See? You're mad."

"I'm not mad, Raven," Beast Boy said, walking towards her.

"Then… What are you?" she asked.

"I'm relieved," he breathed, stopping infront of her.

It was her turn to look at him, confused. "What?"

"I thought after this morning, you'd avoid me or something." He looked at her, his brows crinkled in uncertainness. "Why aren't you wary of me?"

"…"

She snapped out of the trance he had her under and her gaze fell to the floor. "I don't know," she started, "I guess I brushed it off as you being hormonal."

He grabbed her hand out of anger and she forcibly looked up at him. When he tugged on her arm, she fell forward and he wrapped his free arm around her side.

"Well don't," he said seriously. As she looked at him, both confused and startled, he continued as anger seeped into his voice. "Don't brush it off as nothing, Raven," he said lowly. His hand fell down to her waist and he stared into her violet eyes. "I want to claim you as my own. Raven-" he pulled her closer to him and his eyebrows furrowed deeper. "I want you to be mine and mine alone."

A breath caught in her throat at his explanation and she gulped dryly.

"I'm not just your teammate - I'm a **guy**." As he let her go, he grabbed his uniform that was now dry and headed for the door. "It'd be smart of you to start viewing me as one…"

And with that, he walked out the door and left her standing there, utterly confused and stunned. The reality of the situation set in and her face started heating up.

" _B… Be **his**_ _?"_ she asked herself.


	18. Sparring Partner

The next week was fairly awkward in the Titans' Tower, as Beast Boy's sour mood and Raven's jumpy one made sure of that. She tried as best as she could to avoid meeting with Beast Boy alone. Sometimes she would be in her room, meditating to herself, and he would knock on her door, hoping she would answer. Once, he even tried morphing into a fly to raid her room. When he found her he had run to her in attempt to catch her. When he did, she panicked and her magic sprung out, making him fall into a black hole. He was instantly sent back to his room, and _that's_ when Raven blocked **all** ways of getting into her room.

Worried, Starfire came to talk to her in the living room. She asked her friend. "Why must you avoid Beast Boy to such an extent?"

Raven feigned ignorance and said, "I don't know what you're talking about," and continued to read her book.

Starfire said, confused, "Do you wish for me to explain to you your strange behavior?"

Raven asked her, half-growling, " _What_ behavior?"

Nervousness and worry had grown in Starfire's gut and she smiled in order to cover up her anxiety. "N-Nothing…!" She scratched the back of her head and zipped off to find Robin.

When she found him, he was sparring with Cyborg in the gym. She held a hand to her mouth and said, "Pssst!" They both stopped and looked at her. After talking to Cyborg for a few seconds, he patted Robin's back as he made his way to her.

Grabbing the towel next to her, he asked, "What's up?"

She said in a hushed voice, "I believe friend Raven is upset with me."

Robin laughed a little. "What are you talking about?"

She sighed at herself and continued. "I fear I have made her angry by mentioning her strange behavior this past week."

Robin wiped off some of the sweat that pooled on his skin and thought, "Yeah… They've been acting weird lately."

Starfire looked at him questioningly and asked, "They?"

He told her, "Beast Boy's seemed really angry this week. Though I'm not going to lie, it's helped us in battles."

"Are you implying it is good?"

Robin shook his head. "No, I'm concerned. I don't think he's left his room at all besides missions and meals." He sighed to himself, "What would make Beast Boy just fly off the handle like that?"

Star thought to herself and said, "This has started to occur after Raven had failed at the training course."

Robin thought she was right and nodded. "But, what happened after that?"

The two stared at each other and shrugged simultaneously before the door to the training room opened creakily and a familiar figure emerged from behind it.

"BB!" Cyborg called out happily.

He smiled back at him as his friend gave him a nuggie. "Nice to see you too, Cy," he said.

"Well, what was with the change of heart?" Robin asked, walking over to them.

"What?" Beast Boy asked. He looked like he was actually confused, which threw everyone else for a loop.

"Um, Beast Boy," Robin said, "You've been bummed all week."

"He's right," Cyborg added, "You look like you haven't slept in a week either!"

Starfire said worriedly, "You look as though a glorpnock threw up on you…"

Beast Boy laughed childishly at them and smiled brightly. "I've never been better," he said happily.

Though they were skeptical, they accepted it. He asked, "Can you spar with me, Robin?"

He smiled softly and said, "Sure."

The two walked over to the mats on the floor and bowed to one another before getting into a fighting stance. Cyborg, who was assumed to be the referee, threw his hand down and said, "BEGIN!"

The two battled for a few minutes before the sweat built up so much, Beast Boy had to ditch his training shirt. Robin - who was a few feet from him - said teasingly, "Getting tired?"

Beast Boy smirked and said, "I'm just getting started." He bolted for Robin.

The two of them avoided using their weapons and focused on hand-to-hand combat. Beast Boy had agreed to not morph into his other forms out of courtesy - though he was starting to regret it.

Even though he was fairly strong, he rarely battled their enemies using his human form; it was too risky. It was a new experience that he enjoyed, though, even though Robin had the upper hand. He was on Robin's terf with mano-on-mano action, because _he_ usually _always_ used it. Beast Boy was working up a sweat and was so into his battle, he didn't even hear when the door opened.

* * *

The sound of grunts, pants, and skin slashing at skin had made Raven gravitate to the training room. She opened the door slowly and noticed Beast Boy and Robin fighting on the mats, and Cyborg off to the side, watching them both. Starfire was on the other side of the room sitting on the bench, staring at the two of them, soaking up the information about close-combat they spilled.

Raven slowly worked her way into the gym and sat a ways away from Starfire. Though to her dismay, she had noticed and scooted closer to her. "They are magnificent, are they not?" she asked, turning her head back to them.

Raven stared at them, mesmerized, and said, "Yeah…"

Without her knowing, her eyes followed Beast Boy's body as it darted to and fro, attacking and avoiding Robin. She took note of their appearances and realized they both were shirtless, exposing their chests. _Her eyes_ fell to Beast Boy, who was clenching his teeth together - a habit of his when battling. She unconsciously let her eyes wander to his arms that shielded himself from Robin's attacks. When his crossed arms received a blow from his opponent, they flexed as though to brace for the already-impacted stinging. Even though they weren't extremely muscular, they were still pretty well-defined. What she thought to be a scrawny-body actually had characteristics that _weren't_ so boyish.

He pushed Robin off of him and started to move to offense. His attacks grew more rapid and Robin had a momentary issue with blocking him.

He wasn't stronger than him, but he _was_ faster.

Robin feigned off his attacker and Raven noticed Beast Boy's chest as it heaved when he breathed heavily. He wiped off the sweat that started to form on his lips and Robin smirked, doing the same for his forehead.

It wasn't until he did this did she look at his face.

His green eyes had sparkled when he noticed Robin's taunting gesture. He smirked in response and her eyes fell to his mouth. As soon as she did, she saw his lips turn to her and tug up into a smirk, revealing his incisor. Her eyes flickered back to his eyes, which were staring back at her. At some point that she did not know, Cyborg had called the battle a draw and they went to return to their belongings, thanking each other for the experience.

She finally registered he caught her staring at him and she averted her eyes from his. She felt a blush creep up her face and was glad her hood was up - but just in case, she tugged on it so it came down further.

Before she realized it, everyone else had left - but Beast Boy still resided in the corner, packing up his stuff. At some point, he roughly put on his shirt, and his body was still heated from the exercise. However, he was careful to wipe off the remaining sweat from his body before putting on his clothing; He only made that mistake once.

She started to get up from her seat and hurried to the door -

"…!"

But right before she could flee, a green blurry arm stopped her. Beast Boy was now beside her and she couldn't escape - his hand had blocked the only exit. She met his piercing gaze and he smirked.

"You were staring," he said, somewhat happily.

She scowled at him and retorted, "I was not."

He chuckled lightly. And then it dawned on her.

She wasn't looking down at him anymore.

He wasn't taller than her, but at least now he was the same height as her. She thought to herself, " _Guys grow like bloody weeds…"_

His smile faded and he got a little seriouser, due to his confusion. He asked her, "What are you thinking about?"

She turned her head and mumbled, annoyed, "Nothing."

He matched her frustration and moved his free hand to the other side of her head. He had her trapped in between his arms and she _wasn't_ going to escaped this time. If she opened another portal, he would drag her with him, and he _knew_ she wouldn't appreciate being in his room alone with her any more than this situation. He stared at her and asked, "Was it really nothing?"

His before-dazzling jade eyes had glazed over and now they didn't show a lot of emotion. She was forced to look at him, as he didn't leave a lot of room for her to move.

He was only a few inches from her.

She glared back at him and said sternly, "Yes. Nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Rae." Though he had said this lowly, his voice still contained hints of affection and tenderness.

When she averted her eyes from his, he knew something was up. He asked teasingly, yet at the same time - delightfully, "We're you thinking about what I said?"

Since he was so close to her, he could see her through her hood. He smiled smugly when he saw her face maintain a red color. He said softly, "Thank you…"

Whilst she was in her confused state, he kissed her forehead gently and grabbed his stuff, leaving the training center. She blinked and her eyebrows furrowed together out of anger. " _Déjà vu much…?"_


	19. Grotesque Form

His throat was very dry, as if it was collapsing in on itself. Whenever he tried to hold it and soothe the pain, it only made him notice the claws that started forming on his fingernails, which dug into his skin painfully.

Drawing blood from his flesh only made the burning worse.

He had to find her and see her - even if only for a second. But he knew _where_ she was. _Who_ she was with. She was with _them_ , and _they_ only saw him as a villain - not an ally. Going to them on their own turf was out of the question.

" _She doesn't have her cell phone, either,"_ he thought to himself as he held his weight up by pressing his arm against a nearby wall. His sharp teeth clenched together and he hit the wall with the side of his fist. He ignored the pain that came with it when his purple eyes saw the dent he had made. Parts of the brick wall crumbled to the ground - the other shattered pieces barely remaining upright.

He continued to walk down the dark alley and he stopped when he saw he was about to step into the daylight. He gulped dryly - nervously - and remembered what he looked like.

He looked like a monster.

He dug his claws into his back, causing his shoulder blade to bleed. A vague memory of her when they were kids bubbled up and the pain lightened faintly.

He shook his head lightly and thought to himself, " _The remembrance of her won't work anymore, I tried that…"_

Walking down to the other end of the alley, he heard a light _whoosh_ from behind him and guessed who it was. "If you're coming here to tell me I need to see her, you're wasting your time." He said, a little less angrily, "I'm not going to…"

The shadow walked towards him. His shoes clicked on the pavement. "Why not?" they asked, infuriated.

"Why would you care?" the pained figure turned to look at the other. When he did, he saw the true anger in their pink eyes.

"Why would I keep a student who can't reveal himself in daylight?" they boomed.

The beast gulped down the argument that wanted to come out of their dry throat. Because he knew he was right. He couldn't be seen like this. His burnt, red skin and sharp, pointed teeth were repulsive. The man got closer to him and held up the boy's hand, which revealed patches of scaly skin that rested on his forearms. He clenched and bared his teeth together at the pain that worked its way to his wrist. The man got closer to his face and said, "I can't, so I need _you_ to be able to."

Releasing his hand the boy fell to the ground with a thud. During his descent, his back had slammed against the brick wall and his blood pooled near his spine. It wasn't as much pain as it was agony.

This was torture.

His blood was always boiling, which heated his already-red skin to a deeper crimson. The claws that were edging off of his fingers ached whenever he touched them. The feeling of his eye color changing with almost every action he did was too close for comfort.

It was almost like five year ago - but _worse._

He crossed his scaly arms over his chest, hugging himself tightly, trying to keep the dangerous emotions that emitted from him inside. His nails dug into the side of his ribs and he drew blood once again.

After a few more minutes had passed, the sun started to set behind the city, darkening the streets. The street lights flickered on, indicating it was dark enough for them to be needed.

The broken boy who held himself so tightly felt ease wash over him. The claws that sunk into his ribs retracted slowly, reverting back to his regular fingernails - which now had blood on the tips of them. His head that hung into his chest saw the scales residing on his arms fade, along with the red tint of his skin. His previously boiling blood cooled, returning to its normal temperature. His ice blue pupils darkened, gaining their azure color once more, and the three pairs of fangs in his mouth subsided, leaving no trace that they were ever there. His arms shook slightly in relief as he tried to calm his panting lungs.

The man scoffed, "If you thought _that_ pain was bad, you're going to have a lot to look forward to in the next three years."

He raised his head to look at his pink eyed mentor and saw his own reflection in them. To himself, he looked broken.

Because he _was_.

His leader stared at him, almost disgusted. "Why won't you do it, hm, Max?"

His eyes contained both shakiness, confusion, and slight traces of anger. "I won't hurt her…"

He heard another scoff from above his head. "…" The silence between the two was eerie, and his mentor spoke again, lowly. "Don't come back to the house tonight…"

Max shot his head up at him and he saw seriousness plastered on the man's face. "She is, your _last hope_ of keeping the life you have."

The hand that clenched his legs - which had curled to his chest - tightened, ever so slightly, holding on to the fury that boiled inside of his chest.

His mentor said lowly, "Do it, or don't come back."

Max cringed at his master's harshness and lowered his head, the sound of heavy footsteps fading from the alley.

The Titans were preparing themselves for a peaceful evening.

Robin and Cyborg had already retreated to their room after the long battle between them and Brother Blood ended. Starfire grabbed her pet, Silkie, and walked groggily to her room with him in her arms. The only awake in the tower was Raven, because Sara had already fallen asleep long before dinner, and Beast Boy wasn't pleased with himself at the tactics he used in this afternoon's battle.

She hovered peacefully on her bed, chanting her mantra to the darkness.

"Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos…"

With each exhale came an inhale, her chest rising and falling peacefully. She wasn't sure why, but when she tried to enter Nevermore, she failed. She was _never_ not able to enter her own mind before - even when she was unconscious. It seemed fairly strange to her, so she tried again after everyone had fallen asleep.

She succeeded and within seconds was warped into her mind.

When she got there, she already had a welcoming party for her. Bravery yelled to the others, "Guys! Raven's here!"

Her other emoticlones came over at their own paces. First to arrive was Passion, whose purple cloak fluttered behind her. She jumped into Raven's arms and held on tightly, repeating, "Thank you thank you thank you thank you!"

She managed to pry herself off of her and asked stoically, "For what?"

Passion tugged on her arm and said, pulling her away from the others, "For giving me another friend!"

Raven's brows furrowed together. " _Who?"_

When Passion stopped, she threw her hand out infront of them both and said, "Her!"

Raven stopped dead in her tracks as she stared at the back of another emoticlone. Her rosy coral cloak moved as she turned towards the original. When Raven got to see her face, it looked like all the others - only _this_ face had slightly longer eyelashes, as well as longer hair, and soft pink lip gloss residing on her lips. Her eyes brightened at the sight of Raven and she worked her way over to her.

"It's so nice to meet you!" she said, hugging her creator.

All Raven could do was widen her eyes in surprise and ask, "Who are you?"

"Oh!" As if remembering herself, she said apologetically, "Forgive me." She pulled away from the blue hooded girl and said happily, "I'm Lust - emoticlone number ten." She held up a peace sign in between her left eye. She stuck out her tongue and said, "Ain't I cute?"

Raven was just processing her name, let alone listening to her. "Lust…?" she said to herself.

Knowledge worked her way over to her and said, "Yes, Lust. She was blossoming around the time of Sara's kidnapping, but she was only born yesterday."

Raven processed the new information that was being given to her. "Yesterday…" She gasped internally upon recalling the events that occurred the previous day and pointed at Lust. "You made me do all of those things!"

Lust flipped her head to the side, her long purple hair coming with it. "That one wasn't my fault."

Raven looked to Passion, who held her hands up in defense. "I didn't do it!" she protested.

"Then… Who-?"

Knowledge cut her off before she continued to ask questions. "Don't strain yourself," she said warily. After grabbing Raven's attention, she continued, "This is really just _you_ going through phases of your life."

After Raven had an expression of confusion, Knowledge put it in simpler terms for her. "You're growing up - you're starting to want to do adult things with Beast Boy."

Her face heated and she furrowed her eyebrows together. "No, I'm not!" she protested.

"You're really trying to argue with me?" Knowledge scoffed.

"…" Admitting it would be pointless to argue with all that she knows, she sighed in defeat and Lust spoke up.

"Well, he _is_ cute."

Raven argued, "He is _not!"_

"Is too!" Lust smirked evilly and leaned in towards her, "And I bet it _grew_ over the summer-"

"Ok!" Raven put her foot down, "That's it!" Walking over to the newest member of herself, she told her strictly, "I want you gone before tomorrow morning!"

Lust chuckled lightly to herself. " _I'm_ not the one you're gonna want to get rid of."

"What-?"

Before Lust could answer, a knock echoed in Raven's room, bringing her back to her bedroom. She blinked her eyes, adjusting to her new surroundings. A voice rang out quietly from the other side of her door. "Um… Raven…?"

It was the _last_ person she wanted to see, now that she knew what lurked in her mind.

Beast Boy called out quietly, "Are you still awake…?"

Raven thought to herself, " _Maybe if I don't answer him, he'll leave."_

Before she could follow through with her plan, her voice rang out softly, "Yeah…?"

"…!" She didn't do that on purpose, so she could only take a wild guess of why she said that.

She felt his aura lighten at her voice - but only slightly. He asked softly, putting his hand to the door, "Can I come in…?" His voice wavered and he cringed, "I had a bad dream…"

"…"

Even though she didn't want to, she opened the door with her powers and Beast Boy stood behind it, his hand now at his side. He smiled meekly and said, "Hey…" before staring at the ground. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Raven move her feet to the side, leaving a space for him on the left side of her bed. She lightly tapped the spot next to her and his ears perked up. He smiled brightly, climbing under her sheets.

She asked him softly, "What was your dream about?"

His previously happy feelings stopped and were replaced by a sad and remorseful one. Noticing she had said something wrong, she stopped him from remembering. "It's ok, you don't have to tell me." She swung her feet around and slid them under the covers. He grabbed her arm lightly. "What…?" she asked.

"You'll stay here, right?" he asked.

Raven noticed his hand shake faintly. She figured it must've been a pretty bad nightmare, so she lied down next to him. "Yeah…" she said softly, "I'll be here…"

His smile this time still revolved around his regrets, but had a faint calmness to it - which pleased her. She lied on her back, and felt the hand on her arm loosen.

"…!?"

Only to be replaced by two arms, wrapping around her.

One of his arms had went under her, his forearm touching the small of her back, and his hand resting on her outter hip. His other was draped across her stomach, with his palm resting in the curve on her side. She turned her head and saw Beast Boy lying on his side, facing her, with his arms stretched away from him. His eyes had closed peacefully and his head snuggled against her upper arm. His fingers that held her hip and side stretched, then recoiled, stroking her clothes gently.

She assumed his mother had held him against her like this before and allowed him to do that, but she felt uncomfortable in his grasp. She whispered to him, "Beast Boy…"

He opened his eyes groggily and asked, "Hm…?"

When his emerald eyes stared back at her, it made her next sentence all the more uncomfortable to say. "This position, is…"

He looked at himself, but he was far too sleepy to register it as 'embarrassing'. "What about it…?" he asked.

Raven shifted uncomfortably and he started to realize she didn't really fancy it. He pleaded to her, "I'm sorry Rae," he closed his eyes and scrunched them tightly. "Can it just be for tonight?"

His grip on her tightened, almost unnoticeably. She thought for a minute before telling herself, " _He misses his mom…"_

She sighed internally and said quietly, "Ok…"

Raven moved the arm that he had put his head on, so he nuzzled his head into the side of her chest, curling his legs to her so the top one wrapped around her thighs. Cringing slightly, she put her arm which hovered in the air around him softly, leaving it on the middle of his spine. She gently ran her fingers back and forth across his back, and his eyes unclenched, making him smile softly, as he drifted into a deep slumber.

She heard his breathing slow to a steady pace which let her know he fell asleep. She gently ran her fingers through his ruffled hair, moving it from his face that nuzzled against her. She felt his chest fall and rise against her, and when she put her hand on the arm that wrapped around her stomach, she felt hers do the same.

It wasn't until then did she notice his arms were strongly holding her to him, emitting a faint heat from them. She stared at his face, which was slightly dirtied from today's events. Smiling faintly, she brushed off his cheek which held the dirt. His nose twitched and his eyes and eyebrows cringed slightly, before returning to their previous state. His lips parted again and air continued to flow out of his mouth, then in through his nose. His breath tickled her side and warmed her skin as he exhaled. And that's when she noticed his lips. They appeared to be dry, but at the same time soft. Her palm unconsciously reached out and rested against his jawline, and her thumb brushed against his slightly-parted lips.

They _were_ soft.

Her fingers which rested near his ears sunk further down his head and gravitated to behind his green, pointed ears. Her nails slid across one of his nerves and she unknowingly got a reaction out of him. He perked his chin up and tilted his head towards her hand in delight. Since he had fallen asleep, he let a purr escaped his lips as it climbed up his throat. His body shivered in pleasure and a chill ran down his spine. As it did, his back arched forward and his head nuzzled into Raven more. After his shoulder blades touched, a spark ignited in him and his eyelids parted slowly. When his brain turned back on, he made the connections he needed to and his eyes flew open. He took extreme note of where his head was and his head whipped upwards, registering a pink cheeked Raven in his vision. His face heated quickly, maintaining a red color. When he looked back down he took notice that he was straddling her legs and he whipped them away from her. He moved his arms from underneath and around her and returned them to his side. He used his arms to push himself off of the bed, staring and stuttering at Raven.

"I-I-I-I-I-…!"

It wasn't until then did he realize Raven had her arm around him, resting behind his ears. As if reading his mind, she withdrew her hand and it fell on her lap. She squirmed sitting down and said, "S.. Sorry…"

He tried to comfort her. "N-No! I-It's fine," he stuttered, "I-I just can't believe I did that…"

Raven tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear and answered back, "Well I guess I kind of tempted you, so…"

"…"

"…"

The two were now wide awake, contemplating what to do next. Raven was the first to break the silence and said, "Well, I'm going to face this way, so…" She lied back down on her bed and pulled the covers back over her shoulders. Once the rustling died down, she noticed Beast Boy was still beside her. He was wondering if he should leave or not when Raven heard more restless rustling beside her. He had crawled into the sheets again, and a pair of strong, warm arms wrapped around her stomach/waist area. He nuzzled his head in between her shoulder blades and held onto her snuggly, afraid she might vanish if he didn't. She asked him softly, "Beast Boy…?"

When she felt his grip on her tighten, her voice wavered and she asked, "You want to stay here tonight, right?"

She felt his head nod slowly in her back, and he continued to hold her gently as he fell into a deep sleep.

The two stayed like that for the remainder of the night, warmer than they had been before their body temperatures mixed together.


	20. Secret Revealed

A warm feeling surrounded her. It felt as if she was floating in lukewarm water, surrounded by the calm sea. Her resting eyes lazily opened, her room coming in and out of focus, right before she locked onto the extra pair of feet near her own. Brown hair fell ontop of her drowsy eyes and she recognized a faint scent of vanilla flowers and jasmine to her right. She sat up and rubbed her green eyes sleepily. As she did so, she realized he still had his arm around her from the previous night.

" _Right…"_ she told herself, " _Max came here yesterday…"_

Beside her slept her childhood friend, whose blue eyes were shut, swarmed by light brown freckles. She recalled the previous night as she rubbed her face, trying to wash away the rest of her sleepiness.

 _She was just about to put on her pajamas and go to sleep when she heard a strange noise come from outside. When she got closer to it, she saw Max clinging to the side of the building. She hurriedly opened her window and asked, "What are you doing here, stupid!?"_

 _He smiled devilishly, "Can I come in, sweetheart?"_

" _Sure…" She moved aside and he climbed through the window. She shut it behind him._

 _It was already past dark, so she wasn't exactly sure why he came here. Then, she got a realization that this wasn't like when they were kids and he just had a bad nightmare._

She _was a Titan. And_ he _was a villain._

 _Her hands glowed a faint red and a small flame formed in her hands. She arched her back in a defensive stance and asked lowly, "Why_ _ **are**_ _you here?"_

 _He turned around and saw her position. Holding up his hands in defense he said, "Relax, I'm not here as Fusion Melt." He stared at her softly and said, "I'm here as Max…"_

 _She still stared at him warily, but the fighting spirit in her faded slowly. He let out a little sigh and said, "Your friend…?"_

 _Once she unlit her hands - still unsure of his actions - she asked him, "You still haven't answered me,_ **idiot.** "

 _The way she hung onto the last word teasingly cut deep and he smirked sarcastically. "Glad to see you too, Sara."_

 _She raised an eyebrow and said challengingly, "Old habits die hard."_

 _He sat down on her bed and put his hands behind his head, plopping backwards on the soft mattress. He asked her, "Can I crash here tonight?"_

 _Sara was walking over to her dresser to find clothes and she asked over her shoulder, "You_ _ **do**_ _realize this is Titans' territory, right?"_

 _He watched her drape a forest green shirt on her arm as she pulled out sleeping boxers. He asked, feigning innocence, "Haven't I proved my dedication by just showing up here?"_

 _She glared at him over her shoulder and said, "Yeah right."_

 _She slipped off her uniform and Max had a perfect view of her back - which only had black bra straps on it. His face gained a distinct red color and he turned his head away from her. She pulled on her green tee and took off her boots, followed by her shorts._

 _Since she was still turned around, she couldn't see Max as he clenched his right forearm tightly. It was gaining the red tint he hated so much. It calmed at his touch, but it was still faintly visible; Though it appeared to be slightly pink when he released it again._

 _Sara had pulled on her boxers and made her way over to him. She sat down on the other side of the bed, staring at him - who was still lying down. She asked him skeptically, "What's the_ real _reason why you're here?"_

 _A strand of her hair fell from her head as she hovered above him - which tickled his cheek. Careful not to act upon the heat threatening to rise to his face, he held up his right hand to her. It made its way to her cheek, and his touch cooled her face._

" _To see you…" he said lowly, yet very softly._

 _She held his hand with one of her own, and then her eyebrows furrowed together. "How long were you planning on not telling me you couldn't control your powers?"_

" _What?" Max was taken aback by her words and his face twisted. He had forgotten he took off his jacket and tossed it aside earlier until she pushed back his sleeve, which and been bunched at his elbow until then._

 _When she did so, it revealed Max's pink tinted skin. The color must have shown through his white shirt, because he was sure she wouldn't have noticed otherwise. His biceps were a very noticeable pink, which faded just before his elbows._

 _Sara reached out to touch his cheek, and when she did, she felt how cool his skin really was. His eyes turned orange without his permission and where her palm rested had matched his skin temperature. She moved her hand from his cheek to his arm and dragged it downwards. She was shocked at his sudden change of eye color._

 _Again, without his authorization, his eyes added green streaks to the tangerine irises and his skin changed from a light rose to its natural sandy color at her touch. When she stopped, his eyes faded back to its azure hue._

 _It was as if his face had told her,_ "Now you know…"

 _He opened his mouth and the words that came out shook Sara. "When I'm with you, they regulate themselves…"_

 _She looked at him and asked, concerned, "How often does this happen…?"_

 _Max smiled meekly at himself and laughed dryly, turning his head away from her. "I_ knew _you'd ask that…" he said._

 _She stared at him stoically and repeated herself. "How often?"_

 _After he hugged himself, he stared at the ground and - feeling more secure - told her his issues. "All day… Everyday…"_

 _She stared at him in disbelief. "Why are you just telling me this_ now?" _she asked._

 _He stared back at her and his eyebrows furrowed. "I didn't plan on telling you_ ever…"

 _To him, Sara looked more like she was watching a murder happen infront of her eyes. He had never seen her make an expression like that -_ ever. _Now, he wished he hadn't._

" _Can I stay or not?" he asked, slightly fed up with her questions._

 _Sara sighed and lied down next to him. She rubbed her aching head and asked him, "You'll be out before they all wake up tomorrow?" With his nod, she sighed again and pulled the covers over them. "Ok," she said softly. As her back was to him, she mumbled sleepily, "But you're gonna warm me up, because I'm freezing."_

 _When he heard her sneeze quietly, he smiled and his eyebrow turned upwards. He snuggled against her, wrapping his arms around her stomach, and his eyes turned a faint amber. Slowly, his body temperature rose and he felt her relax in his grasp. It wasn't long until her breathing slowed, and she fell into a dreamless slumber._

Careful not to wake up her sleeping friend, she unclasped his hands from her waist and got off the bed slowly. She walked to her closet across the room and slid open the door. Grabbing her nearest uniform, she made her way to the bathroom, putting her clothes on the sink. She started up the shower and failed to notice Max stirring.

The loud beating of water against the shower floor resounded in his ears, causing him to awaken from his peaceful dreams. As his eyes adjusted to his surroundings, he remembered he was in Titans Tower. A yawn slipped from his mouth and he stretched his back. Reassuring cracks echoed in Sara's room.

Sara…

His mind started to go blank and he worried over his friend who was not lying next to him. That's when he heard it.

The shower was on.

Only negative thoughts ran through his head as he slowly got up from the bed.

" _What if someone's drowning her…? Or worse-"_ Max's eyes went wide with horror as he thought, " _Washing off her blood from their hands…!"_

He jumped into action and slammed the door to the bathroom open. He had his hands up and ready, preparing for combat with a murderer. "Sara!?" he called out.

The shower curtain opened and in her frantic state, she accidentally revealed her head, arm, and hip to him. "What!?" she yelled.

"…" The hands that previously stretched outwards from his body flinched when he saw Sara's appearance. She apparently _just_ got in the shower, because her hair was only partially wet. But she was in long enough that water dripped from her fair, ivory skin.

His face had changed from that of a ferocious warrior to that of an embarrassed school girl. He dropped his hands and turned around hastily. "S-Sorry!" he said, blushing heavily as he crouched to the ground.

"…?" It wasn't until she looked down at herself did Sara realize why he was flustered. She closed the curtain hurriedly and felt her face heat up. "You scared me!" she yelled.

" _You_ scared _me!"_ he answered back.

"Why would you do that?!" she asked.

He told her, "I thought you were dying!"

She fumed, "In the _shower!?"_

He shrugged, still red faced. "Ever seen a horror movie?! People die in showers!"

"Ugh…" she sighed angrily and started to calm her heart.

"…" Max did the same, and his face returned to its tanned color. After a moment of silence, he told her, "You sure have grown up since I've been gone."

She said angrily, "Shut up."

Max didn't leave the room when she put on her clothing, but he stayed with his back to her on the floor - out of respect.

Sara was just slipping into her jean shorts when she heard a knock on her door.

"Sara?"

It was Cyborg.

They both flinched at his voice and she called out, "Yeah?"

He asked her, "Are you comin' down for breakfast?"

She saw Max open his mouth and she quickly covered it. "Yeah," she said, "I'm just getting dressed."

"Ok."

His footsteps soon faded and Sara moved her hand from Max's mouth. "Ok," she started, "I want you **out** before training starts."

He pouted, "Is this about the shower thing? Because-"

"No," she said, trying not to strangle him for that comment. She told him, "I may accept you as my friend, but to the others, you're my kidnapper - a _villain."_

The way the last word came out cut him deep and he cringed. She continued to explain. "If they find you here, _they will_ skin you alive… And I'd have to do the same…"

His face was remorseful, but he nodded. "Ok… I'll be out before you're done breakfast."

She told him, softer than before, "Thank you…"

He nodded his head again and started for the window. When he opened it, he was about to jump out when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned around to Sara and she said to him, motherly, "Be careful…"

He smirked and stuck out his tongue. "Always, _stuuupid."_

She smiled weakly and watched her best friend disappear into the sky.

Her smile faded and she thought to herself, " _How long until he goes back to that other state…?"_

Pushing her negative thoughts to the back of her mind, she finished getting ready and left her room, heading for the kitchen.


	21. Uncontrollable

The sky was a dark, deep, crimson red. The blackbirds had four eyes to match it. As they rested on the branches and screeched, a hand grabbed its throat, silencing it.

"Well lookie here," a green hooded girl exclaimed, "This one's missin' a leg!"

Another girl - identical to the first - rolled her eyes underneath her blue cloak. "Bravery," she asked, "Can you stop fooling around?"

The green caped mistress said, sounding hurt, "Who said I was?"

Another jumped in and said, "She's just relieving some of Timid's stress, Raven."

To that, the one wearing blue said, "Look, I didn't come here to deal with you all." She looked around and asked, "Where is she, Knowledge?"

The yellow-hooded girl pointed to another room. "In there."

Raven made her way through her mind in search of her "problem emotion". Once she reached the room that held her and another, she spotted Lust and Passion, gossiping on her bed.

"Raven!" Passion declared, her smile brightening.

"Hi…" she grumbled, as her eyes fell to the other figure.

Lust smirked at her and asked, "Did you sleep well?"

Raven's irritation showed on her face and she said, "I would've slept better if you hadn't told Beast Boy I was awake."

Lust scoffed. "If I didn't tell him you were awake, he would've morphed into your room - and _that_ would've shocked you more."

Raven was displeased and her purple cloaked friend jumped in. "Please don't fight," she said.

"You want to fight with yourself?" Lust asked seriously.

"No," Raven fumed, "I just want you to leave." She continued ranting at her own emotion. "Everytime I go near Beast Boy now, you do weird stuff and I can't look at him straight anymore."

Rolling her tongue, Lust told her, "It's called _love."_

"No," Raven retorted, holding the bridge of her nose, "It's called annoying!"

Pouting, she turned her head away from Raven.

She sighed and said, "Look, I just don't like Beast Boy like that." Raven thought to herself and said, "I barely like Beast Boy as a friend - let alone more than that."

Lust said over her shoulder, "That's not what your hormones say…"

Before Raven could argue with Lust, she heard the alarm go off and she was sent reeling back to her room. She grabbed her cloak that hung from her bed frame and left the room in a haste.

* * *

When she got to the den, her other teammates had already arrived, ready for combat. Sara asked Robin, "Who is it?"

He squinted his eyes and said, "Someone called in a new villain."

"What's his name?" Beast Boy asked, shrugging on his battle suit.

"Fusion Melt."

At the sound of the name, Sara flinched - though no one noticed.

"Apparently he made his debut in Star City last year," Robin said, grabbing his equipment.

Cyborg asked him, "And he came all the way here because…?" He said sarcastically, "He was just in town."

Robin told them, "It doesn't matter _where_ he came from. The point is he's threatening our city- and we have to stop him."

With a silent nod of agreement from everyone, he lead his team into combat.

* * *

He was standing on top of a flatbed truck, his eyes glowing a distinct yellow. He chuckled lightly to himself as he swirled water around the sky. He had tapped into the city's main water supply and was using it as a toy.

It wouldn't take long for the city to run dry.

He had the city on its knees and was about to close the deal with the mayor when a voice resounded throughout the street.

"Stop messing around, 'Fusion Melt'."

Max turned his head and saw Robin standing proudly, along with his team.

When he turned to them, he smirked cockily. "And if I wasn't?"

When he smiled, the Titans saw something that peaked their interests.

Max had _fangs_.

On both his lower and upper jaw, his incisors pointed outward and formed fangs.

Max ran a hand through his blonde hair and said, disappointedly, "Man, and I was _so_ hoping you would walk away peacefully." He sighed, smiling from the bottom of his heart. He finished, "Guess not, huh?"

Before anyone could even _breathe,_ his eyes turned an emerald green and he vanished from his spot on the truck.

Staying hidden in the shadows - his specialty.

The Titans were on their guards.

Max was on top of a nearby street light and his skin transitioned to match his regular appearance. "What?" he blinked, asking himself in utter shock.

Cyborg pointed to the street light Max rested on. "There!" he yelled.

Robin flung one of his bird-a-rangs at the lamp post and it sparked - along with a body.

Max had been struck in his stomach and fell onto his back, hitting the pavement hard with a thud. He clenched his teeth in pain, but got up anyways. He held his stomach and tried to heal himself.

"…!"

His eyes had only flickered a faint red, before reverting back to the natural blue. His stomach still ached, but there was no physical injuries. He gulped nervously, realizing he couldn't heal himself properly.

His head shot back to the six of them and saw Cyborg's sonic beam coming towards him quickly. He flipped backwards - barely avoiding the blast. He was crouched on the ground in a defensive stance when Starfire aimed at him. Her starbolts were fast - but he was faster.

He avoided each one, and when he saw an opening, his eyes had blurred yellow and Starfire was flung out of the sky. As she was hurdling for the ground, Robin caught her and laid her down. He returned to the battle and tried going for hand-to-hand combat with Max, to which he was succeeding in.

When Max was almost defeated, he emitted a heat surge from his body. The next time Robin attacked was when he burned himself. He winced at the pain and Max's eyes faltered to the water filling the streets. Just as his eyes got their golden color, the water had already moved to beside Sara.

She shot out her hands and the water binded Max, lifting him off of the ground. His sharpened teeth grit together and he felt a wave of heat wash over him.

He felt another pair of fangs emerge from his upper jaw and his blood boiled.

" _Not now…!"_ he thought angrily.

The water worked its way up his neck and he had to tilt his hand upwards to avoid from drowning. When he did, Sara saw the mark that glowed on the left side of his neck.

"…!"

Her grip on the water vanished, to which Max fell to the ground. He gasped for air at the relieving feeling of having his lungs expand to their full capacity again. When he looked down at his hands, he saw his fingernails grow and sharpen - as well as a red tint creep up his digits.

He hid his hands in his sides, hunching over, attempting to stop his transformation.

He heard the footsteps of the Titans approach him rapidly. He clenched his teeth, baring them as his head whipped to his advancing enemies. He took one last look at Sara - who had a worried look on her face - before his eyes turned yellow. The manhole cover from underneath him popped out from its place in the ground and flew upwards. It cut through the wind at blinding speeds and he soon disappeared from the city's vision.

Although the mayor had thanked them generously, the Titans were confused and/or surprised by Max's sudden actions.

 _Especially_ two…

Sara stared off to where Max had vanished, a worried and remorseful look plastered on her face. "…"

"…" And Raven watched her, with a sour look on her own.


	22. Draneyeth Cain

After the battle - if you would call it that - between Fusion Melt and the Titans had come to an end, they all returned to their home, devising their own theories of why Max would run away.

Beast Boy had theorized that he reversed Sara's grip on him and retreated from whatever hole he crawled out of. Cyborg added to his theory by saying Max couldn't handle them all at once.

Robin had thought of other ideas, though. And they hit too close to home. He asked his team, "Did you see the colors?"

"Which colors do you speak of?" Starfire asked.

Robin explained his theory. "They were all dimmer than normal - weren't they?" His story had grabbed the attention of his group and they all thought back to today's battle. He continued as he saw his team's faces change to agree with him. He continued, "What if he couldn't control himself anymore?"

Beast Boy asked, "You mean, like, his powers don't work?"

Robin nodded. "What if he can't use them anymore - or in this case, they're fading."

Cyborg thought before adding, "When I spotted him on the lamppost, he _did_ seem pretty shocked at himself."

Starfire nodded. "It was the same as us when we took note of the pointed teeths residing in his mouth."

"Yeah, what _was_ that about?" Robin asked.

Beast Boy smiled, as a child would when discovering a new toy. "Maybe he's a vampire!"

Cyborg elbowed him and said, "By that logic, you'd be one too."

Beast Boy covered his mouth with his hand and lightly shoved Cyborg with the other. "Cy, dude…!"

He smirked, "Too soon?"

Beast Boy shook his head, "No amount of time's gonna make that ok."

Cyborg chuckled lightly and put his friend in a headlock, giving him a major nuggie. A resounding "Eck!" echoed in the room and the two wrestled.

On the opposite side of the room was Sara, searching the web on her computer in the kitchen. Her mind wasn't with the silliness of her friends at the time - she was too busy trying to find answers to her own questions.

" _I know I've seen that symbol before…"_ she thought to herself, trying a different search browser. She quickly closed out the window when she heard Raven's footsteps near her. Opening a gaming program, she looked up at her friend, who now leaned against the counter beside her. She looked up from the computer and smiled. "Hey, Raven," she said.

"Hi…" she said. Her hood was up, so she knew Sara couldn't see her expressions. If she had, she would have already asked her what was wrong. She tried to probe Sara casually, so that she wouldn't pick up on what she was doing. "So," she started, "What do you think was going on with Max?"

Sara shrugged, straightening out her thin lips. "Not sure," she started, "But I think Robin's right."

"Which part?" Raven asked, "He had a lot of theories."

Sara searched her memory unnoticeably, trying to recall what her leader had said before. She smiled and said, calmly, "All of them."

By now, she figured she had been found out by the brown-haired vixen and Raven tried a different approach.

"Do you like Max?" she asked bluntly.

Sara's face flushed at the sudden question. "W-What?"

Raven continued, "Well, he seems to have a thing for you."

Her teammate shifted her weight uncomfortably in her seat. She mumbled quietly, "No he doesn't…"

"You wanna bet?" Raven asked tauntingly.

Sara shook her head and her cheeks cooled gradually.

"Look," Raven started, "I know Max didn't break free of your hold on him." As Sara's head shot up to her, she held up her hand and continued. "I also know that he has a soft spot for you- which means you probably have the same." Her eyes turned serious as she told her teammate the next thing on her mind. "I want to help you find whatever it is you're looking for - no questions asked."

Sara asked her questioningly, "Why are you doing this for me?"

Raven smiled softly under her hood and said to her, "Because… Someone's smart and they don't know it… They gave me some good advice once," she turned on her heels and said over her shoulder, "Let's just call this the first step."

Sara thought of her parting words as she watched her friend walk over to her others, conversing with them happily. She smile/smirked to herself when she saw a green changeling hug Raven tightly in front of the others, to which she attempted to pry him off of her.

"That was the first step, huh?" Sara asked herself.

* * *

Later that evening…

Sara was sitting atop of Raven's bed, with a computer resting on her lap. Raven was searching her bookshelf for something Sara did not know, and openly said, "Ah," as she pulled out a big, brown, leather bound book.

When Sara looked up from the internet, she asked, "What'd you find?"

Raven put the book on her bed and sat down. "It's one of my older spell books from Azar." She opened the front cover and her eyes skimmed the index as she said, "I got it from a pawn shop. It contains all that there is about markings and symbols."

Sara perked when she said this. _"Everything?"_

"And anything," Raven added. Her finger stopped on one particular string of words and she flipped the pages once more. In the middle of the book held a picture to the right, and a paragraph about it to its left. Raven asked her, "What color did you say it was again?"

Sara scooted closer to her friend and said, "Like an icy blue."

Nodding to herself, she flipped the pages a couple further and her hands stopped once more. She looked to Sara and held the book so she could see it. "Did it look like this?"

Sara's eyes went wide when she saw the marking that was on Max's neck. The electric blue circle inscribed in a large square replicated what she saw earlier that day. It appeared to be a summoning circle, based off of the encryption on the outer rim of the sphere and edges of the square. Thirteen symbols created the circle, each portraying something different, and an intricate lacing pattern of snakes assembled four edges, coming together to form the square. The markings were beautiful, yet struck fear into Sara's mind. She answered Raven saying, "Yes, yes. That's the symbol I'm looking for." As she looked from the book to her friend, she asked, "What does it mean?"

Turning her attention to the book, Raven said, "It's the symbol for one of the demonic kings - a Shinigami. His name was Draneyeth Cain, and he terrorized the people of Toyama, killing all that stood in his way. After his reign on the people of Toyama ended, he cursed his following descendants. Every two hundred years, one belonging to his bloodline would be blessed - with a curse." When Sara's head turned to her, she continued cautiously as she saw apprehension grow in her eyes. She told her, "The next child born after his demise, two hundred years later, and every cyclical child after that, would suffer greatly."

Sara asked, not meaning to reveal some of her terror, "What's the curse…?"

Raven sighed internally when she saw her friend's expression. "It doesn't really matter. It's just a legend-"

When she went to stand up, Sara grabbed her wrist and she pleaded with her. "Please…" She choked back her remaining fear and said, "I _**need**_ to know what it means…"

Raven nodded silently and sat back on the bed. She told her friend, "It says that he gives his two hundredth ancestor immense power - but with immense power, comes a price. Unless his blessed successor creates a child with another being, they lose the power that he gave them, and are trapped in a different, grotesque form; forever."

A loud gulp echoed in her room, indicating Sara knew more about this topic than she was letting off. Raven asked her skeptically, "Sara, do you know who his descendant is?"

Though she debated whether to tell her or not, she told Raven quietly, "I think I might…"

Raven's eyes went wide and she asked her, "Sara, how old is this person?"

Looking at her questioningly, she said, "Why?"

Quickly opening the book she had previously shut, Raven pointed to a sentence on the page. She showed Sara and told her, "It says that that person has to create another living being before their twenty first birthday."

The two exchanged looks and Sara said jokingly, "Well, I know what I need to tell them next time we meet up…"

* * *

After the fiasco in Raven's room, Sara retreated to her own, and Raven draped her cloak over her bedframe. Sighing to herself, she thought, " _What did I get myself into?"_

She slipped off her boots and climbed under her covers. Soon, she had fallen into a deep, dreamful slumber, one which she'd wish she never dreamt.

* * *

It was a familiar scene to her. Feeling the silky sheets underneath her, she recognized where she was.

She was on her bed, in her room.

Something caught her attention, though, because only one of her hands grasped the sheets in her palm. Her left hand, however, felt something unknown to her. Then, as if to add to her confusion, she smelt something she didn't recognize. It wasn't unpleasant, however. It reminded her of the trees in a forest, or of cinnamon, mixed with nutmegs. The three aromas mixed together and she smiled pleasantly at the delightful scent.

But then, her eyes cringed together when she felt her head was pressed against something hard- yet at the same time, soft. When her eyes fluttered open, she was blinded by green. When she saw his signature color, her eyes tried their best to focus on him. His emerald pupils hid themselves behind a pair of eyelids, leaving him vulnerable to her. His green hair was shaggily thrown around his head, which was often what it looked like after he sparred with Cyborg or Robin. His sharpened incisor peeked from his parted lips, though his mouth was shut tightly. As she took note that he was sleeping next to her, she quickly sat up - and as she did, she felt his arm - which wrapped around her tightly, trying to hold onto her longer. Her actions had caused him to stir and his closed eyes cringed together. He brought a hand to his face and rubbed his sleepy eyes. He mumbled and groaned as he blinked repeatedly, trying to find out why Raven was awake.

He stared at her and asked him, "What's wrong?" When he took note of Raven's confused and scared face, he sat up and wrapped his arm around her back. "Bad dream?" he asked.

Raven could only blink at the scenario in front of her. He pulled her closer and his hand touched her bare back, rubbing it soothingly.

Her back…

When she felt his slightly calloused hand on her back she realized she only had on her undergarments; she **never** _just_ wore her bra and underwear to bed.

She quickly pulled the covers that fell to her lap over her in a hurry. She curled her legs to her chest and asked him, "What are you doing here?"

Beast Boy smiled lightly, though his eyes told her he took that personally. "Well, what did you want me to do- go back to my room after that?"

"…" Raven thought to herself before asking, slightly nervous for his answer, "After _what?"_

This time, Beast Boy's smile softened and a red tint worked its way to his cheeks. He looked behind her and said, "After _that_ …"

When she looked over her shoulder, she saw he was staring at her garbage can. She peeked over her bedframe, wary to cover her backside whilst she moved, and saw an empty wrapper in it. She blushed heavily and plopped back down on her bed, pulling the covers over her head. Her face felt like it was on fire, so she curled into a ball.

Beast Boy sighed to himself and rested his hand on Raven's side. "Come on, Rae," he said, "It's not like it was the first time."

Her face cringed when he said the phrase 'first time'. " _We've… We've done this_ before… _?!"_ Raven asked herself.

He got off of her bed and knelt down so he could rest his arms on the edge. He put his chin on his hands and asked her, softly, "Do you want to stop doing this…?"

She peeked her head out from underneath the covers and revealed her violet eyes. His green ones pierced hers and she felt bad for a moment. He smiled meekly and told her, "I can restrain myself…"

Just as she started to emerge from her bedsheets, he lifted his head and told her, "I mean it'd be pretty hard to."

When she gave him a confused look, he smiled brighter and said, "It'd be hard to because all I want to do is this."

Raven's mind was blank when she saw Beast Boy lean in to her. His lips felt soft against her, and she was surprised when she saw he hadn't closed his eyes. After a moment had passed, Beast Boy pulled away from her again.

Though Raven's relief didn't last very long.

Beast Boy dipped his head towards her again, kissing her once more, quicker than he did last time. After two more, he closed his eyes, and brought his hand to cradle the side of her head. His fingers tickled against her sensitive ear and she shut her eyes tightly, trying not to focus on his touch. Once his hand dropped from her ear it fell to her cheek, and his thumb rested on her cheekbone. To her, his green eyes sparkled brightly, as if he had just discovered life for the first time. To him, her violet pupils had gone from mortal terror to curiosity, and a slight passion resided in the purple streaks of her eyes. He let out a little chuckle and bowed his head, to which she asked him, "What's wrong?"

He smiled and met her gaze once more, saying, "You look like you're expecting something."

Her face flushed at his words and his smile grew softer, lacing in traces of desire and affection that Raven had never seen before. This time, she was the one to lean in to kiss him - but after his shocked state came a feverish one, and he climbed to his feet, trying to avoid breaking the contact between them. As he moved his knees to either side of her, Raven fell backwards and he had to prop himself up to see her face. His hands now trapped her on her bed, leaving her powerless against him. Her purple hair sprawled out on the silk sheets, and her chest heaved with excitement. Her lips were parted and her breathing had grown raspy and more frequent as her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Beast Boy's face softened when he saw her like this. It wasn't very often he got the chance to, so when he did, he remembered the littlest of things - including moments like these. He smiled softly at her and said quietly, "You know," as he leaned in towards her, "if you do things like this…" His lips were inches from her and his breath tickled her nose. "I won't be able, to hold back…"

She closed her eyes in anticipation of Beast Boy's warmth and skin when -

* * *

BEEP…! BEEP…! BEEP…!

"…!"

Raven's chest heaved quickly, gasping for air as she snapped her head up, which brought her back to reality.

Back to her room. Her _real_ room.

Her breathing slowed, and when she looked to her left she saw her alarm clock blinking the time as its deafening beeps boomed in her ears. She clenched her teeth together and it crunched as it was entrapped in black powers, separating it into millions of tiny metal pieces.

After blinking repeatedly to herself, she flipped the covers up and started to get her clothes ready for after she showered. As she grabbed a clean uniform, she thought to herself, " _There's_ no way _Beast Boy and I would…"_

Her mind wandered and she shook her head, shivering at the thought of her dream becoming a reality. She started the shower and prepared for the long day ahead of her, forcefully pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind.


	23. Help Me!

It all started spiraling downhill at breakfast…

The gang was eating their usual Tuesday breakfast when a gust of wind interrupted their conversation. They all looked to the elevator and saw a frantic Kid Flash, whose chest heaved as he stood in front of the closing doors. Robin looked to the usually laid back hero and asked, "What's wrong?"

Kid Flash made his way over to the six hastily and claimed, "You guys have gotta help me." Before Robin could ask what he was going on about, he put his hands on both of Robin's shoulders and begged him. " **Please!** "

"Woah," Robin said, removing his hands from his shoulders, "What are you even talking about?"

Once he rose to his feet, Kid Flash told him, forgetting to breath in between thoughts, "Keystone City has this case going around and it's really dangerous and they wanted to call the Justice League but I might've already called them off and now figuring out how dangerous the case is I can't do it on my own anymore- and you _gotta help me!"_ Kid Flash dropped to his knees and clasped his hands together, praying Robin would say yes.

"Um," he asked, "What's the mission even include?"

Kid Flash's eyes sparkled faintly and his face was hopeful as he informed Robin on Keystone City's threatening force. "There's this guy and he's going around killing people. They don't have any leads or any connection between any of his victims."

Beast Boy shook his head from his seat at the table. "Sorry dude, we don't do murders," he said.

"Pleeeeeeaaeeeasssse!" he pleaded to his green friend.

Robin put his hand on the back of his neck and told them both, "Well, crime in Jump _has_ been dwindling…"

Raven's hand which held her cup of herbal tea flinched and she looked at him. "You're not _actually_ considering this, are you?" she asked.

Robin looked at her and shrugged. "I'm not saying we'll do it, we'll just think about it. Consider it. If everyone doesn't agree after that - then we won't go to Keystone City."

Kid Flash's previous grim face brightened and he hopped to his feet, eloping Robin in a bone crushing hug. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you - Thank you!" he said ecstatically.

"No problem…" Robin choked out.

Once he let go, Robin sighed of relief and Kid Flash made his way over to the rest of the team. "Well…?" he asked hopefully.

Sara was the first to break the silence. She told him, "Well, it wouldn't hurt to check it out."

"Why not?" Cyborg jumped in, "A change of pace might do us some good."

Starfire said excitedly, "I have always wanted to witness a crime that does not involve robberies!"

Beast Boy shook his head, "Oh no! I don't want to go anywhere near a bloody, gory, dead, _human_ body," he protested, turning his head away from the group.

"I agree with him," Raven said, turning her attention to Kid Flash. "Sorry," she said stoically.

He pouted and Robin came out from behind him. "I didn't mean we'd discuss it right now. It's going to take more than one afternoon to talk about all of our options," he said.

"Well," Flash said, brightening the mood, "It's five against two and majority rules - you guys are gonna go to Keystone tomorrow!"

Before Raven and Beast Boy could get their two cents in, Kid Flash was already gone and a refreshing breeze filled the room.

Raven sighed and said, "I have a bad feeling about this…"

Later, in the den…

An ear-shattering alarm rang throughout the Tower and the heroes quickly turned to their leader. Starfire asked, "Who is doing the crimes?"

Whilst staring at the monitor, Robin told her, "Our old friend - Red X."

Beast Boy sighed, "Him again?"

After turning to him, Robin said, "Trust me, I'm not ecstatic about it, either." He grabbed the keys to his R-Cycle and said over his shoulder, "Everyone meet up on the corner of fourth and tenth."

After they all gave a quick nod, they dispersed and went their separate ways, racing to the scene of the crime.

When each Titan arrived at the scene by car, cycle, or sky, Red X was already walking out of the City's Bank, with sacks of money on either shoulder. He whistled the tune _Whistle_ as he walked down the street with a spring in his step.

"Eh hem…"

Once he heard Robin clear his throat exaggeratedly, his head turned towards the group and he sighed. "Man," he asked, "Do you guys _ever_ take the day off?"

Robin narrowed his eyes and Red X raised his wrist, revealing a metallic watch. "Heh," he sneered, "Guess not."

A red laser shot out from his wristband and fired directly at the Titan's leader. Robin landed on his feet after jumping to avoid the beam. He asked tauntingly, "Where'd you get those? A children's happy meal?"

Red X put the bags of money on the ground to either side of him and said, mockingly, "Where'd you pick up the new recruit? Chuck's All-Night 'Entertainment' Bar?"

Sara arched her back defensively, her eyes filled with rage. She commented, infuriated, "Better there than prison."

Smirking as if to tease her, he commented, condescendingly, "You're cute."

She bared her clenched teeth at him and her shoulders lurched back as she whipped her arms out in front of her, flinging her palms to the cloudy sky. The pavement crumbled and cracked, making a beeline for Red X. To her disappointment, he jumped onto a parked car - which set off an alarm. He chuckled and told her tauntingly, "You're gonna have to do better than that if you want to catch me."

Starfire's eyes glowed a bright green and she commented, "It is _you_ who wishes not to be caught by _me!"_ As she took to the sky, she blasted starbeams from her eyes and starbolts from her hands, aiming for the miscreant. To everyone's dismay, he was very agile and had been leaping from spot to spot, avoiding every one of her attacks. Once an opening appeared, he flung the green beam of light back at Starfire, making her plummet to the ground viciously. His cocky smirk pushed Robin to his breaking point and he screeched angrily, charging at Red X with his bo staff.

Hand-to-hand combat between the two broke out and sadly - Red X had the upper hand. Somehow, he was blocking each of Robin's advances as if he already predicted them. And if that wasn't enough, his suit seemed to have been upgraded recently. The easily accessible throwing knives upgraded his offense, and the new hardened fabric in his armor raised his defense.

Once Red X managed to split Robin's staff in two, he smirked once more. "You like 'em?" he asked, holding three blades in between his fingers. Sounding as serious - yet very laid back - as he could, he told Robin, "The Happy Meal even came with chicken."

Robin clenched his teeth, infuriated with the villain. As he charged at him once more, Red X sent him flying with a device they had never seen before. Though their appearance made them look like ninja stars, when he threw them at the Titan's leader, hitting the ground heavily, a bright red bubble popped out from the devices, trapping Robin where he stood. No matter how hard he pounded on the containment bubble, he couldn't get free. Not even his bird-a-rangs could break the seal. Cyborg's battle cry sounded in the air as he readied his sonic cannon. The blue beam shot out towards Red X and was just about to make contact when -

"…"

All the whilst smirking, Red X intercepted the blue beam of death with his metallic gloves. After redirecting the flow of the beam, it shot out from his hands and hit Cyborg dead on. His chest sparked and fizzed once he crashed into the Toyota behind him.

When Sara tried to take another go at him using a stream of fire, Red X had kicked out his foot behind him. He had kicked a fire hydrant so hard it broke, and the flames bursting from her hands fizzled out quickly - soon, drowning her out. She coughed and choked on water that had entered her lungs when the hydrant had shot out a powerful stream at her. Her lungs were burning and she crouched down in agony, trying to relieve the scorching pain which she felt throughout her body.

Now fed up with the situation, she held up her darkness-encased hands, and she chanted furiously, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

Once he pulled something out of his pocket, Red X held out his hand and blew the substance towards the levitating sorceress. A line of crimson dust mixed with her powers and headed towards her. The line of magic was long enough to circle around her, closing in on her as it did. The circle got to be close enough to her that it binded her as she floated in the air, which elicited cries of pain from her throat.

"Raven!" Beast Boy called out to his teammate as he stared at her with pain, apprehension laced in his voice.

She forced her tightly shut eyes to open- though she could only pry them open slightly. She yelled through her clenched teeth, "Get him…!"

Robin's scream was slightly muffled from the bubble as he called out, "Be careful, Beast Boy!"

They all heard a loud _thud_ and their attention was brought back to the battle which Starfire had kept going. Red X now gripped her throat, raising her a foot off the ground. His other hand lurched back and a fluorescent yellow ball of energy formed in his palm. He told her, "If you agree to date me, I'll let you go."

Starfire had a difficult time forming words with his hand around her neck, but she managed to say, "I would rather see the face of death."

He shrugged and said, "Suit yourself." The power which he held in his palm was flung forward, inching its way towards Starfire.

"…!"

To everyone's surprise, it never reached her.

She gasped for air as she felt her body slump to the ground and pain shot through her knees, which had smashed against the pavement. When she heard a _thump_ against the ground, she saw Beast Boy, lying unconscious on his side in front of her. Her eyes grew in horror as she watched a bright yellow light seep into his neck where his veins rested. They soon faded out and his green skin returned to its natural state.

Raven - whose eyes were bulged from her head out of fear for her heroic teammate - had watched him fall against the blacktop. " **Beast Boy!** " she cried out.

 _That_ was when it happened.

All of her rage boiled up inside of her and she screeched so loud, all those around were deaf at her voice. Her eyes were now closed tightly. The crimson binding around her broke, shattering to a million pieces onto the pavement. When she opened her eyes again, a red glow surrounded the two pairs of eyes now resting across her face. Her team feared for the worst when they realized what was happening.

Her demonic side was emerging.

Red X tried to hold his composure as he watched Raven's cloak flutter viciously in the wind she was creating. He laughed innocently, saying as a child would, "Oops… Wrong target…"

Her feet touched the ground below her and she slowly walked toward him, her heels clicking on the pavement. "' _Wrong target'?_ " Her regular voice boomed and echoed, along with a deep, raspy, harsh demonic voice which had fused with her own. As her feet touched the pavement she walked on, it created a dark black pool which spread invigoratingly outwards - trapping and destroying anything in its way. She laughed dryly and said, "Don't count on me missing…"

She raised the hand up which was currently holding as much power she could muster. As she reeled her arm back to throw the dark ball of energy at Red X, a voice stopped her. "Wait!"

When Raven turned her head around, she saw Sara staring back at her.

Well, she assumed it was Sara, since she was the only person who could speak and stand at the same time right now.

Her figure was blurry as Raven stared at her, so she was trying to make out her shape more clearly. She had to blink several times before she registered her face again. One pair of demonic eyes faded, and another reverted back to its violet color. "What…?" she asked coarsely, still slightly annoyed that someone interrupted her from beating up Red X.

Sara told her reassuringly, "Robin already called the authorities, so the police will be here in a few minutes. You don't need to go that far, Raven…"

Sara's soothing words slowly made their way to Raven's head and she processed what she was about to do. "I… I didn't mean to…" her voice trailed off as she turned her head back to Red X, who had dropped to his knees in relief when Sara stopped her from doing her worst to him.

She turned her head back to Sara, who was smiling softly at her. "It's ok…" she reassured her, "You didn't hurt him."

When police cars piled into the street, each blaring different sirens, the ambulance showed up and workers jumped out of it. Then, Raven's attention was brought back to Beast Boy. She ran to where he was lying and shooed away the paramedics. "Back off!" she yelled.

"Ma'am, we need to get him to the hospital-"

As one of the many paramedics took a step towards her, she swiped her hand in the air and a black shield flung him backwards, which signaled the others not to move.

A light blue glow emitted from Raven's palms and she pressed them to him chest, checking his pulse. It was steadily beating away; without a care in the world. Next, she slid them towards his neck where he was blasted. None of his major arteries were damaged. They weren't even _scratched_.

Raven found this very terrifying, because if nothing was wrong with him - why wouldn't he wake up?

She moved her hands more frantically towards his head, but with the same results. There was one thing that peaked her interest, though, because when she had moved on to read his brain activity, it was skyrocketing. It was as if he was in a sleeping trance, one which he couldn't wake up from.

Raven looked to her team, who had been freed from their traps by the ERT. Her voice wavered and she choked up when she had to tell her teammates, "He's in a coma…"


	24. Remorseful Wednesday

"What do you mean 'he's in a coma', Raven?" Robin asked.

She looked up at him, annoyed, and said, "Exactly what it sounds like. He's in a coma. A trance. It means he's not going to just magically wake up."

Sara thought for a moment and said, "When you checked was it him just sleeping and dreaming, or did his brain shut down temporarily?"

Raven looked at her and answered, "His brain is still active - like it would if he was awake. But his senses are turned off." Looking to her other teammates, she said, "It's like he doesn't want to wake up from this state."

Cyborg shook his head at her. "Don't say that - _please_ don't say that… That _can't_ be true…"

He looked to her hoping she would reassure him. She would tell him everything was going to be okay, and this was just temporary. He would wake up in a couple of days - maybe even hours. But giving him closure wasn't something she could do. Not matter how bad the situation was, she couldn't bring herself to lie to her friend. She bowed her head and stared at Beast Boy's asleep face. It looked just like it did in her dream.

But it was time to wake up. Her dream was just that - a _dream._ She couldn't have that right now, and probably couldn't _ever_ have that. After a moment had passed, she rose to her feet, slinging Beast Boy's arm around her shoulder as she did. As she passed Cyborg, dragging her friend to the T-Car, she told him expressionlessly, over her shoulder, "It **is** true…"

From behind her, she heard Starfire's whimpers, as well as Cyborg's metallic knees hitting the pavement harshly. When she loaded Beast Boy into the back of the car, lying him down gently, she could hear Robin yelling in the background - as well as a loud crash. She turned her head one more time at her teammates, who were in shambles.

Sara rubbed a crying Starfire's back reassuringly, tears in her own eyes; Cyborg held his hands to his face, mumbling to himself as his emotions slipped from his lips; Robin, who was furious and scared for Beast Boy at the same time, let out his anger by smashing his bird-a-rang into one of the lampposts.

For now, it was best to get Beast Boy back to the Tower's infirmary, so that was just what she did.

* * *

After about an hour of passing time, the other four heroes had made their way to the Tower. All of their previous emotions were vanished, leaving behind only remorseful stares and expressionless faces. Raven had finally emerged from the infirmary, and the sitting, moping Titans rose from their seats.

Sara pushed herself off of the counter and asked, "Is he ok…?"

Raven looked at her from underneath her hood and said, "Like I said earlier, he's not dying."

Starfire wiped her dried tears and asked, "Does this mean friend Beast Boy has awoken?"

Raven bit her lip and said, "Ok, so he's _unresponsively_ alive…"

Robin grunted impatiently, "Do you at least have an estimate of when he'll wake up?"

Raven hung her head and said painfully, "Didn't I tell you earlier? He'll wake up when his body wants him to."

Cyborg protested heavily. "If I know BB, he'd want to wake up A.S.A.P.!"

"Well," Raven started, "I guess Beast Boy doesn't even know _himself_ what he wants right now…"

The five hung their heads and tears welled in Starfire's eyes again. "Will he ever know what he desires?" she asked.

Her empathetic friend felt sadness build up in her own body so she turned away from them all. As she walked back to her room, she said over her shoulder, "Only time will tell…"

* * *

A gloomy Tuesday passed and an even gloomier Wednesday arrived. Beast Boy hadn't woken up from his coma, and showed no sign of doing so yet. All hope was lost until a gruesome reality was brought before them - and it wore spandex.

Whilst the group was sulking heavily over Beast Boy still being unconscious, they heard the elevator door chime and open. Before them stood a red headed casanova, who had a giant grin on his face. He walked into the den and said happily, "So! Who's ready to check out a brutal crime scene? Hm?!"

When he leaned towards Robin, who was sitting on the couch, he shooed away his close face. "Not now, Flash," Robin said.

"Oh come on," Kid Flash protested, "I thought you all agreed to help me?" As he turned his head to the rest of them, he noticed something peculiar.

They all wore sad expressions and/or sullen faces. He felt his own face drop and said, "Ok, so we can go tomorrow…"

Starfire - who was sitting in the kitchen - told him, "Worry not, friend Flash, it is not you who has put us in a bitter mood."

He shrugged and asked, "Then, what _did?"_

Sara looked up from her spot on the countertop and said, her voice quiet, rough, and fragile all at the same time, "Notice anyone missing, Romeo?"

As he took a second look around the room, he noticed his green friend was missing. He asked, his face drooping slowly, "Where's B?"

"He's in the infirmary. He went into a coma yesterday." Raven had her hood up, but he could tell she was trying to avoid showing him her swollen eyes.

"…" Kid Flash's gulp was barely noticeable, because everyone else was immersed in their own ways of coping with the situation. He asked her, "When will he wake up?"

She lifted her head up from the spot on the table she was staring at. Luckily for her, her puffy eyes were shaded - though Kid Flash had already guessed they were there. She told him, "Whenever he feels like it."

Flash started to get irritated and he told her, "Ok, just because you're upset doesn't mean-"

His sentence was cut short by Cyborg's hand on his shoulder. When he turned to face him, Cyborg said, "She's not lying… His mental state is perfectly fine. He just doesn't want to wake up."

Kid Flash's face dropped and he stared at the ground. "Oh…"

Robin got up from the couch and walked over to them. He said, "I'm sorry, Flash… But until Beast Boy wakes up, we can't join you on your case."

His eyebrows knitted upward and his head shot up. "But you don't even know if he'll-"

Once more, someone interrupted his train of thought. Sara had stared him down from her spot in the kitchen and her head shook slowly. As he questioned her actions, he saw her eyes dart to Raven's chair and back. Nodding to her silently, he closed his mouth and walked over to Raven. He took the seat next to her and rested his head on his folded arms, which now lied on the table. He stared at her hung head and she lifted her gaze to meet his. He told her, "He's going to wake up before Friday ends…"

She asked him quietly, "How can you be so sure…?"

He smirked half-heartedly and said, "'Cause I'm gonna beat him up if he doesn't."

Though it was very weak, Raven smiled faintly. But it soon faded, and a depressed expression took its place once more.

He nudged her arm and told her, "So cheer up… Even if it's just a little."

Without her permission, her eyes watered and tears silently streamed down her cheeks. She was surprised at her own actions, and tried to wipe them away quickly. Before she could, though, Kid Flash had already seen her tears and told her seriously, "Now what would Beast Boy do if he saw you were crying because of him?"

She chuckled lightly and said through her tears, "Probably panic…"

He put his arm around her and rubbed her back comfortingly. He told her quietly, "Probably…" before she turned to him and wept silently.

She coiled into his chest and her hood fell down in all the commotion. Whilst he reassuringly stroked her hair, he whispered repeatedly to her, "He's gonna wake up, Raven… He'll wake up…"

She nodded and her tears poured uncontrollably from her eyes.

Though she hated showing how weak she was to her team by crying, she hated the fact that Beast Boy wasn't by her side even more. For the time being, her mind was clouded with thoughts of Beast Boy. She remembered his confession not a week earlier. Her dream the following day. And the way he had sacrificed himself for Starfire. It wasn't long until the remorse she kept bottled up left her, and a burning sensation took its place.

Her frown had twisted to a scowl against Kid Flash's chest and her grip on him tightened before she let go. When they parted, the group looked at her questioningly and she pulled her hood over her head. As she got up from her seat, she made her way to the elevator and mumbled angrily, "I'll be back…"

Robin called out to her, "Where are you going…!?"

She looked forward from her spot in the elevator and her eyes filled with rage. As the door closed slowly, she said, "To visit a Shinigami's grave."


	25. Deal

Raven's declaration peaked and confused the Titans' brains. After her departure, Starfire asked quietly, "Is a gami of shins another part of the Earth's language I do not know of?"

Robin shook his head and stared at where Raven left. "I don't know what that meant either…"

Cyborg stuck his arm out in front of him and started typing on it with his other hand. "I can do a global search to tell us what it is."

The redheaded boy put a hand against Cyborg's metallic one and lowered it. He pointed at someone and told him, "I think Sara can tell us."

Sara sat on the kitchen counter with her green eyes wide, mixed emotions swirling in them. She raised her head she saw all of her friends staring back at her.

"Well?" Robin asked.

"…" Her expression resembled that of a deer trapped in headlights as her pupils darted from Titan to Titan. After she realized they wanted the truth out of her, she fought with herself on if she should tell them or not. It wasn't until Kid Flash commented did she want to say anything.

"We need to know if Raven's in danger or not, Sara," he told her.

She sighed both internally and externally and told her friends the meaning behind Raven's words. "Fine." She said, "A Shinigami is another term for a God of Death."

Cyborg questioned, "Why would Raven want to see a God of Death?"

Sara shook her head at him. "She said she was going to visit a _grave_ of one. Meaning, only their spirit is there."

"One?" Robin asked, "How many are there?"

Sara shrugged. "She never told me."

Kid Flash jumped into the conversation. He added sarcastically, "So you guys just talk about Death Gods on your free time?"

He received a glare from Sara as she continued. "No - I was just asking her about something and it came up."

"What were you discussing?" Starfire asked.

"It doesn't matter," Sara said, "The point is I think I might know where she's going- and it's not gonna end pretty."

Before anyone else could ask anymore questions, she asked Cyborg, "Can you cross reference Draneyeth Cain in the world's global database?"

He shrugged and said, "Well sure, if you want me to get arrested for hacking the world's networking server."

Sara rolled her eyes. "How about Google and see if he has a shrine dedicated to him?"

He smirked. "Now _that,_ I can do."

He went over to the touchpad in the den which hooked up to the monitor. As he searched, three red dots came up. One was in Warsaw, Poland. The other, Tripoli, Libya - and the other was in England.

"This cannot be right," Starfire started, "Should there not only be _one_ glowing dot?"

"Are you sure you typed it in right?" Robin asked Cyborg.

"He spelled it right," Sara nodded, eyebrows scrunched.

Meanwhile, Kid Flash was staring at the screen intently. He waved his hand in attempt to tap Cyborg's shoulder without taking his eyes off of the screen. He asked, "Can you zoom in a little?" Cyborg did as he asked before he said, "Stop."

Once the map stopped moving, he took a dry erase marker from the coffee table. Grabbing a see-through laminated sheet of paper, he held it up against the screen. Before anyone could question him, he connected the three dots and circled a city in the center.

Sara stared at his work when he backed up. "Verona…" she whispered to herself in both disbelief and clarity, "He's from Italian descent-!" She turned to the group and said with resolute, "Cain's temple is in Verona."

Kid Flash rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, "Wow, how'd you figure that one out?"

Robin dismissed his comment and told the team, "Come on, we're taking the T-Ship."

Holding up his hand, Kid Flash commented, "I'll run."

* * *

The T-Ship landed in the waterways of Verona, Italy, and they all jumped out. When they got there, Kid Flash was leaning against a lamppost, with a hand running through his windswept hair. "Where were you guys?" he asked.

"Not everyone can have super speed," Cyborg snipped.

After a scoff came from Kid Flash's mouth, Robin asked Sara, "Okay, now what are we looking for?"

She shrugged. "The shrine thing was all I had." Pointing her thumb to Kid Flash, she said snarkily, "Ask Boy Genius over here."

Everyone turned their attention to Kid Flash, who was currently eating pizza he ordered from a foodtruck. He stopped eating and looked to all of them.

"What…?"

* * *

Her blue boots clicked on the cement steps as she made her way to a location she remembered reading about. Her indigo cape fluttered behind her as she ascended the hundreds of steps carved into the mountain terrain. Initially, she attempted to levitate, but the gate she passed through in the very beginning of the climb blocked her powers.

She couldn't teleport. She couldn't levitate. And she couldn't defend herself if there was trouble.

All of this was a risk she was willing to take, though, because Beast Boy's life was on the line. All that ran through her head as she ascended the steps was the burning fury she felt for Red X, and the hopes of a reversal spell being somewhere in the world.

It just so happens, a God of Death should know about things pertaining to endless slumbers and life-threatening curses. The only catch to meeting a Shinigami is that they don't appear in front of humans. Luck was on Raven's side, however.

The only way to catch a demon, was to be caught by a demon.

She reached the top of the steps and relief came to her in waves. As she passed through another gate identical to the first, she felt her powers return to her. Now, she could do all that she pleased.

And that was what she did.

Her feet ached with the climb she just took and she felt comfort once more when her feet lifted from the pavement below her. She pulled down on her hood for reassurance, and she internally sighed. Her cloak danced behind her as she hovered above the ground, moving forward once more.

She stopped when she saw a building which appeared to be three stories high - but two were just additive decor.

In front of the door was a circular cauldron, which held a white liquid. Dipping her right hand into the pot, her finger came in contact with a smooth surface. After making thirteen different symbols on the smooth white interior, she chanted aloud.

" **Drinney Thaicae, Shopt iftire - Grimben!** "

As soon as the words left her mouth, a bright blue light blared in her eyes and her own gained a similar glow. Her head locked on to the cauldron and her pupils glowed a bright white, as she focused her energy to the mirror.

A sandy hand emerged from the black pot, quickly followed by an arm, then a shoulder, then head. Once the light faded, a lightly tanned man stretched before Raven.

"Hrm!" Cracks resonated throughout the temple and he sighed of relief.

"Man," he started, "It is good to be back…"

His eyes fell to Raven's hooded figure, and they widened in surprise. "Hey," he said, "You're Trigon's kid."

She cringed at her father's name and commented, " _Was."_

He held up his hands in defense and said, "Ok, no need to get saucy."

Something on his palms caught Raven's eyes and she stared at them. On his left hand was what appeared to be Poseidon's Trident, though it could pass to be Satan's. The only thing she couldn't place was the fact that it had a line through the staff part of it. She wasn't sure why it was there, so her eyes shifted to his right hand.

On his other hand was a dragon's head. It was evenly placed in the center of his palm, and down spiraled clockwise around his wrist twice - the tail ending at his lower forearm.

Both markings held a bright, electric blue color, and Raven couldn't help but stare.

She didn't pull her gaze away from either until she saw his hands ball into fists. When she shifted her gaze to him, she saw he was vexed, as his eyes revealed he was uncomfortable and annoyed with her staring at his marks. His eyes matched the color of the markings on his palms.

He asked her, "So. Is there any particular reason you let me out of my confinement?"

Raven stared at him and said, "I need a favor."

He chuckled bitterly and said, "I figured." As he moved closer to her, he asked, "Could you be a little more specific?"

Her violet eyes shined brightly through her hood and she deadpanned, "I need an antidote."

He smirked and stared at her. "Can you be a _little_ more specific than _that?"_

She sighed, annoyed that he kept bugging her. She asked, scrunching her shoulders, "Can _you_ not ask so many questions?"

He held up a hand and turned his head away from her at her remark. "O-K," he said in a low voice, "Remind me never to show you what Trivia Night is."

She rolled her eyes and turned on her heels, walking away from him. He followed behind her and soon walked on her left side. "So. I take it you're trying to heal someone?"

She felt her face droop and she mumbled, "Something like that."

He gave a friendly smile and told her, "Okay, ask me for anything - I'm yours until you die."

At his comment, she turned her head to him. "What?"

He rolled his eyes and brought his palm to his head. He mumbled, "You didn't read the conditions - Okay!" he rose his head to meet her gaze and asked, "Do you know who I am?"

She nodded and said stoically, "Draneyeth Cain - Fierce Shinigami who destroyed all of Toyama, 109 through 115; Died at age twenty seven." She stared at him seriously and deadpanned, "Your people hated you."

He stifled a laugh and said, "Okay-"

She cut him off and her eyes narrowed. She said lowly, "Now do _you_ know who _I_ am?"

His back straightened and he resisted the urge to smirk at her. He said, "Raven Roth - A fierce, ruthless warrior who destroyed the demon of all demons; Standing before my very eyes."

She remained expressionless and said, "The one and only." She felt like sighing, but knew it wasn't the time for it. Instead, she felt her back molars with her tongue and after a moment of thinking she looked back to him. Staring at him, she offered a deal. "If you agree to heal one of my friends, I'll give you your freedom from that other realm."

His eyes widened at her proposal. "What…?" he asked, checking to see if he heard her right.

She stared at his blue pupils and claimed, "I'll let you go. You'll be a dog off its leash."

He raised an eyebrow and squinted his face. "What's the catch?"

She told him, "You have to wake my friend up - and once you're done - you can do whatever the hell you want to the world, but you won't touch me, my friends, or my city."

His cheeks uncringed themselves and his lips tugged up into a half smirk. "And if I say no?" he asked.

She stared him down and said darkly, "I'll send you back to hell right now."

At this comment, his face lit up and a full blown evil smirk formed on his face. She stuck out her hand to him and asked, "Do we have a deal?"

His tongue dragged across his teeth inside his mouth and he took her hand. Giving it a light tug, he said, "We have a deal."

Raven cringed in agony and fell to the ground, her arm extending upwards- her hand still encased in Cain's.

Once he let go, she felt a burning sensation on her palm and flipped over her hand. When she did, she saw a dragon's head- its tail spreading down her arm. Once the blue light subsided, the neon color faded into a dark navy blue, and the dragon stopped moving.

Cain looked down at her, who was staring at her hand. He smirked evilly and thought, " _Never make a deal with a Shinigami…"_

Raven's hood-covered face was shielded from Cain, so he didn't see the bright smile plastered across her face.

She smirked and thought to herself, " _Never make a deal with a greedy human…"_


	26. The Three Rules

**Hey guys, it's me here. I'm really sorry I haven't uploaded in a while. Life's been busy and I should have warned you about it. The last couple months have been a lot of college stuff. I'm sorry again that I haven't posted in a while, but I'm going to try my best to upload once a month or so.**

 **On a side note - I'M SO SORRY FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE ALREADY READ THE NEXT TWO CHAPTERS!**

 **This chapter is supposed to go before the other two, and I'm really sorry I didn't notice it was wrong sooner!** **I'm fixing it, so if you want to reread them in order, that's fantastic.**

 **Thank you for all of your support through favorite-ing me, my stories, and commenting on them. I'll keep on writing!**

 **Last thing: Some of you might not know about this, so I'm just going to tell you. I have another story called "Sara's Story", and it follows this one. It isn't as long as Additional Member, and I don't intend for it to be. Sara's Story is more like a background for you guys if you want to learn more about how Sara and Max's relationship was growing up, and even now. So check it out if you're interested!**

 **I'll stop rambling, so - Enjoy!**

* * *

The walk through the mountain was much more enjoyable since it was now downhill; But the person walking beside her made her want to climb back up.

Even though Draneyeth Cain was said to be an all powerful, ferocious, tyrannical, needs-to-be feared one man army - he was oddly happy and upbeat. Rarely did he abandon his smile as he walked alongside Raven. A smile, grin, or giddy face was always plastered across his own. And to be frank, it somewhat frightened Raven. It wasn't as though he was himself. _That_ annoyed her even more.

She got the feeling that he was putting on a show- but for whom? She did not know. The blue-eyed vixen just walked next to her on their journey down the mountain, smiling all the whilst, not having a care in the world. The occasional question was thrown her way; some she answered, others she avoided, to which he respected.

But he did it _to an extent_.

When he asked her "Who _are_ you doing all of this for?" she merely avoided the question and he grabbed her arm. He spun her towards him to which she cried out, "Hey!"

For the first time since she met him, a smile wasn't on his face, but instead was replaced by a deep scowl. He leaned closer to her and growled lowly, "I would at least like to know who you're putting me through hell and back for before I even _think_ about helping you."

She stared at him blankly and pried her arm from his grasp. She said dryly, "It doesn't matter. I saved you from your _other_ hell so you have to do as I say - no questions asked."

He raised an eyebrow at her and a sly grin worked its way to his face. He asked challengingly, "Is that a request?"

Staring fiercely back at him from underneath her hood, she growled, "It's an order."

His closed eyes twitched and he opened them again - though he didn't want to. After taking a deep breath, he smiled once more. Cain's smile was a little darker than the others, though. He told Raven in a raspy voice, "Fine… Rule Number One: No questions." He looked at her seriously and asked, "Any others while we're at it?"

After thinking for a moment, she resumed walking and told him as she passed, "No mask."

He blinked as if he tried to translate her words in his head. He asked, following behind her, "What?"

Her abrupt stop startled him and he could see the scowl underneath her hood. She said angrily, "Wipe that smug little smirk off your face is what it means. I hate it when you try to act as though you _love_ walking beside me when I know _you hate it."_

He was slightly taken aback by her words, but soon, his shocked face turned to a more serious one. He said dryly, "No mask. Got it." As he raised his eyebrow at her, he asked, "And Rule Number Three?"

She turned on her heels once more and said, "Don't cross me."

* * *

"What…?"

As all of the Titans stared at the redheaded flirt, he had no idea what conversation he had walked into.

Robin asked, "How fast can you do an entire search on the city?"

Smirking, Kid Flash asked, "How fast can you say 'city'?"

At his comment, Robin grew annoyed and he said, "Flash-"

In a seconds notice, Kid Flash was gone from their sight and his pizza fell to the ground.

Robin huffed and said what everyone was thinking. "We're leaving Raven's safety in the hands of someone whose only specialty is flirting…"

Starfire added worriedly, "I believe we are to be doomed by the girl who is named, 'Destiny'."

After a consensual nod, the team sighed heavily.

* * *

After Raven had told him her third rule, they were off again and Cain put his hands in his pockets.

Raven looked over to him and saw his attire; consisting of a grey tweed trench coat - whose buttons were almost comically large - black, slightly baggy jeans, and a long red-and-green plaid scarf which hung to below his waist.

She couldn't take his old fashion anymore and told him, "Okay, we need to get you to change clothes. The stripes are starting to hurt my eyes."

Cain stared at her, them himself, and said, sounding hurt, "Well excuse me. The last time anyone called me to your world was when Babe Ruth was still playing for the Yankees."

She asked him questioningly, "Babe Ruth was powerful enough to summon you?"

He stared at her and a nostalgic smile grew on his face. He said, "Yeah… Yeah he was…"

A pleasant silence fell over the two and they walked alongside one another, enjoying the peace and quiet.

"…!"

Until a gust of wind blew violently at them and Raven gasped, "Hey!"

In the ferocious burst of wind, her hood fell down and her hair was flung back. When she opened her clenched eyes again, she went to turn around and ask what the commotion was, but as she did Cain's expression caught her eye.

She turned to him and she asked, "What…?"

When the wind blew down her hood, her face was revealed to Cain. Her violet hair and smooth stunning face shook his nerves and his eyes widened in surprise.

"You… You-…" he stuttered for his words and it took him a while to find the right ones. "- You're a girl," he spat out as his back hunched.

She raised an eyebrow at him and said, "Glad you noticed."

He shook his head and told her, smiling hysterically, "Sorry, it's just - in my realm when everyone was talking about this fierce warrior taking down their demon parent…" He laughed more - clearly unable to process the turn of events. "You're a girl!" he nodded.

"Is that a problem?" she asked, slightly annoyed at him.

Cain coughed and recomposed himself. He put on a serious face and said, "Nope. No problem _at all."_

Raven rolled her eyes once more at the demon's actions.

When the air grew colder, her shoulders cringed and she rubbed her arm, looking to the horizon. The sun was dipping slowly, inching towards the flat building tops of the city.

Raven turned towards Cain and she said, "Alright, after we buy you new clothes, I'll take us back to the Tower."

He rose an eyebrow at her and repeated, "Tower?"

She sighed and grabbed his hand. "I'll explain on the way."

As she dragged him to a clothing store which read - when transcribed from Italian to English - "First World Emporium".

As soon as she had, another gust of wind blew past the two, unnoticeable, and unfazing to them.

* * *

Meanwhile, as the two browsed for suitable clothing for Cain…

Kid Flash stopped in front of his friends - who had either impatiently tapped their foot against the pavement, leaned against a building wall out of boredom, or ordered a large meat lovers deluxe pizza from a local shop to share with their Tamaranian friend.

He jogged to a halt and told them, "Okay, Raven and this other dude just went into a shop half a mile from here."

Robin perked up and asked, "What shop?"

He thought hard and said, "Primo, Mondo… Something."

Cyborg said from his spot on the T-Ship's hood, "That's specific."

He sighed angrily and said, "It doesn't matter. I know where they are."

Sara's head shifted to him and she pushed herself off of the wall. She questioned, " _'They'_?"

He shrugged and said, "Weren't you listening? I said some guy was with her."

Her eyes questioned his words and she asked, "What's he look like?"

Kid Flash scoffed and said, "Like he hasn't been around since 1921."

Sara's face twisted in remembrance as she told them, "That's because he hasn't…"

* * *

After Raven was pleased with Cain's new look - consisting of dark Levi jeans, a navy blue undershirt, and a dark gray jacket that highlighted his brown boots - Raven's attention was brought to his hair.

She stared at his jet black hair, which ends' were a pretty, light azure. Though they complemented his electric blue eyes, it made him stand out on the streets of Verona. She asked, "Is there anything you can do about your hair?"

He smirked and said, "Nope."

After hearing her sigh next to him, he asked, "Is there anything you can do about your gloomy personality?"

She glared at him and said angrily, "Is there anything you can do about your mouth?"

He pointed to it and said, "I can do this." He gave her a large grin which spread from one side of his face to the other.

She rolled her eyes and turned her head back to the sidewalk. "How about your age?"

"What?"

When she saw his confused look, she told him, "A thirty-something year old man and a nineteen year old girl kinda stands out in crowds."

He smiled at her remark in anger, and said, "Try twenty seven."

She raised her eyebrow at him. "Same difference." Crossing her arms in front of her, she said, "You still look sketchy."

His tongue found his lower incisors - which was becoming a habit when he was annoyed at his companion. He stared at her smugly and said, "Yes. Yes there is."

In a moments notice, a yellow light encased him and once it vanished, he looked seven years younger. Smiling in satisfactory, Raven said, "Thank you," before walking down the path again.

Cain sighed and asked, "Where are we going again?"

Without turning towards him, Raven called over her shoulder, "To pick up a gift."

"For who?" he asked.

She smiled remorsefully and said softer, "For a friend…"

* * *

The Titans Tower was very peaceful as the pair entered it. As the saying goes, not a soul was stirring; Mainly because the only soul there was unconscious. Raven could sense Beast Boy still lying in the infirmary's bedroom.

Which only meant he hadn't woken up yet.

Once the door shut behind them both, Raven threw the bag of Cain's old clothes on the table. She turned to him after making sure no one was home and asked, "First. Do you sleep?"

Cain smiled and laughed in disbelief. "I'm a Shinigami, not a bug."

Raven raised an eyebrow at him. "That didn't answer my question."

Sighing, he told her, "Yes. I sleep."

"Perfect," she said, "Because Beast Boy's room is free right now."

At the name, Cain let out a loud "Pff!" and clasped a hand over his mouth to contain his laughter.

"What?" she asked.

Looking up at her, he repeated, " _Beast Boy?"_

Raven crossed her arms and said stoically, " _Draneyeth."_

He stood up straight again and narrowed his eyes at her. "Touché."

She heard the elevator ding and before Cain could protest, she shoved him into a black hole which she created in the floor. He screamed and she quickly shut it after throwing down his old clothes. Putting her hands behind her back, she stood attentively towards the door. The doors opened and she was met by five pairs of eyes.

Raven started slowly, her friends staring at her, "Hey… Guys…"

They all piled out of the elevator and Robin asked her, furiously, "Who said you could just up and leave to go to Verona!?"

At the city's name, Raven's expression changed. "You… _Knew,_ where I was?"

Kid Flash jumped in, saying, "Well yeah, I mean, the center of a triangle is a type of summoning circle, right?"  
Raven asked, clearly confused, "Summoning circle…?"

Cyborg said, "Yeah. You knew where Draneyeth Cain's shrine was because of the summoning triangle on the world map."

Shaking her head lightly, she said, "I didn't use a summoning circle."

Starfire asked, "If not a circle for summoning, then, what method _did_ you use?"

"…" Raven bit her lip and folded her arms, not wanting to say anything that could be used against her.

Sara walked over to her and said, hushing her voice, "Raven… What _did_ you do…?"

Raven moved her lips, not saying anything aloud. Though the others couldn't see her because of her hood, Sara was close enough to see her thin, pale lips form words she dreaded to hear.

" _Verona was Max's birth city…"_


	27. How to Make a Revival Potion

An open palm stung and marked his sandy cheek, making him cringe in pain as his cheek gained a red tint.

"You imbecile!" a man cried out. When the boy he had struck turned to face him, he raised him off of the ground by his collar, yelling once more at him. "You still have another _two years_ before finding a mate should even _cross_ your mindscape!"

As the boy opened his mouth, another painful wave of heat washed over him and his blue eyes brightened forcibly. The feeling of his incisors growing was something he would never truly get used to - along with his fingernails sharpening.

The man sighed in anger and let go of him. "I guess nine really is an unlucky number." As the boy watched him walk over to his titanium desk, he picked something off of it. In his hand was a small device, resembling that of a pistol; one of which that so happened to be forged in hell. Its pure white color only added suspicion, and irony as to why a probable-weapon would have such a light appearance.

The boy asked shakily, regaining his vocal chords, "What's that…?"

With his back turned to the boy, the man smirked evilly.

Turning back around, he said, "Since you feel the need to find a mate _right_ now, I thought the best decision as your shishou would be to help you with your search."

Upon his sentence, the boy's eyes grew wide in fear at what he was planning to do. But before he could act on his thoughts, a black ray shot out of the pistol, striking him square in the chest.

* * *

When her sentence made its way into Sara's brain, her face twisted and her jaw shuddered.

Leaving the other Titans in the dark, she said lowly, "So you knew about that…"

Nodding silently, Raven answered back, "I figured it must've been someone both important and close to you for you to ask." When Sara faced her in disappointment, she smiled painfully. "I figured right…"

The mood in the room changed drastically when Kid Flash interrupted their conversation.

"…!"

He grabbed Raven's hand and raised it from its spot by her side. "What's this?" he asked.

With her new Mark being exposed to the others, Raven struggled to free herself from his grasp. "Let me go!" she said, yanking on her arm.

The others' eyes went wide when they saw a blue dragon residing on her palm. Sara asked her, "You made a _deal_ with him?!"

Robin asked calmly, trying to suppress his infuriated emotions, " _Who…?"_

Turning to him, Sara said, "Cain!"

"Yeah?"

"…"

"…"

A new and never-before-heard voice rang out in the kitchen, capturing all of the Titans' attentions.

Standing in the dining room was Draneyeth Cain - the same man who was with Raven in Verona. In his hand was a bag of barbecue potato chips, which crunched loudly as he slowly put another into his mouth.

Raven yelled, "What are you doing here!?"

He answered back- with a little less volume, "His room 's boring."

Cyborg turned to Raven and asked, " _Who's_ room is he talking about?"

Cain smirked and said, "Your room was boring too."

At this comment Cyborg got ready to fight, but was restrained by Starfire and Kid Flash first.

Rolling his eyes and sighing heavily, Robin wiped a hand over his face. He mumbled to himself, "Great. He's more energetic than Wally." He walked over to Raven. "Sara said you 'made a deal' with him? What does that mean?"

As Raven sheepishly claimed "nothing," Sara cut her off and answered, louder, "Exactly what I said. She made a deal with - the most dangerous - _God of Death._ "

Cain smirked and bowed his head. "The one and only." When he earned an annoyed groan from Robin and a pair of rolled eyes from Sara, he asked her, "Hey. Shouldn't _you_ be more interested in me than _him?"_

Sara asked back, "Why's that?"

With an unwavering smile on his face, Cain said, chuckling slightly, "Well. From the sounds of things, number nine's got his eyes on you."

"…" Sara's face was priceless, because it contorted in confusion so much, she confused herself in why she was making it. "What?" she asked seriously.

Smiling and nodding to himself, Cain said honestly, "You're really slow, so I don't know why he does - but he does."

"Wait," Sara asked, "He's the _ninth_ one?"

Cain nodded, his smile long gone from his face. "And probably the most willpower-ed one."

"Okay," Kid Flash started, "Is it just me, or do you guys feel like a middle piece is missing from this puzzle?"

"What do you mean?" Starfire asked.

Cyborg turned towards her and said, "Well, they're all talking about 'he'. Who's 'he'?"

"Oh," Cain started, "That'd be M- Guh!"

The Shinigami's sentence was interrupted by someone pushing their elbow into his abdomen aggressively.

"Well," Sara said, "I guess we should go back to the deal you and Raven made, huh, _Cain?"_

He lifted his head to meet her disgusted, angry eyes and scowled. "You're not only slow, but pretty violent, too."

Sara gave a witty smile and said, "Awe. You think I'm pretty."

As Cain rolled his eyes, Robin pulled Raven aside.

"Raven," he started, "What exactly did you do to make a deal with this guy?"

Raven sighed to herself and fessed up. "I only brought him here because one of our teammates was going to die."

"So, this is about, Beast Boy?" he asked.

Turning her head to the side, she answered, "Pretty much."

"Raven-"

"Don't."

Robin stared at her blank face and after a while, he sighed. "Alright. But if this all goes south, we'll still be here for you."

Raven gave a meek smile and answered back, "I know…"

After giving a small nod, Robin walked back to the group, whom were very noisy. Sighing, Raven composed herself and pulled up her hood, walking back to the others.

* * *

Later that same day…

"So," Cain started, "What exactly am I dealing with?"

"An irresponsible eighteen year old green man-child."

Trying his best not to crack a smile, Cain said, "No. I meant how did he end up in a coma."

"Oh…" Raven answered, "Well, there's this villain - Red X - and he shot Beast Boy with a ray of some sort."

"Do you know what the ray was?" Cain asked.

Raven shook her head and said, partially angry, "No. I was contained at the moment and it all happened too fast, so, no…"

Cain gave a cocky smile and said, "So even Little Miss Sunshine can be put in a bind."

Raven started to growl at him and Cyborg put his hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Can you help us or not?" he asked.

Cain thought for a moment and held up his finger. "Yes," he said. As soon as everyone breathed in relief, he said, "And no."

Sara parted her lips to speak but Cain cupped her mouth. "First we need to find out what hit that guy. Then I can find supplies to counteract the ingredients."

Kid Flash jumped in and asked Raven, "So you had to make a 'dangerous deal' with this guy when all we need to do is buy some simple ingredients?"

Cain slyly raised an eyebrow and said, "From the way you made things sound, he doesn't have a shot at waking up again." He stared at Flash and asked - arrogantly, "Do you _know_ what a single drop of a God's blood can do to the human body?"

Earning a blank stare from him, Cain maintained eye contact as he pricked his left index finger with the pair of fangs he just grew. Showing Flash - as well as the others - his now bleeding finger, he said, "With the right ingredients, my blood could probably cure cancer." Before letting the group get too excited, he said, "With _too much_ blood and the _wrong_ ingredients, it could also start a zombie apocalypse."

With the Titans' eyes wide, Cain searched for a plastic bag in their cupboards. He asked the group, "This villain guy relies on his suit and artificially made weapons, right?"

"Yeah," Sara answered. "But what does this have to do with-?"

" _Well_ ," Cain interrupted, finding a bag, "If it's man-made, the cure for _whatever_ he hit your friend with is easier to make." Pondering, Cain added, "And less dangerous than natural powers, or curses."

" _Dangerous!?_ " Cyborg yelled.

"Hey- I said **less** dangerous." Cain unzipped the bag and watched his blood drizzle to the bottom. "The color of the ray?"

Starfire stepped up. "The beam was a bright yellow."

Cain smiled. "Easy." Lifting his finger to his lips, Cain's tongue licked the wound. In a matter of seconds, the bleeding stopped, and the skin healed itself. He zipped the bag, putting it on the counter. Turning to the others, he smiled and said, "Now we've gotta find a Venezuelan flower."

Stepping forward proudly, Kid Flash said, "On it. What does it look like?"

Opening a new bag of BBQ chips, Cain told him, "Pink petals, red pistol. Oo."

Kid Flash nodded and zipped off. Starfire asked him, "May I be of assistance?"

"Mm…" Cain asked curiously, swallowing his food, "Can you fly?"

"Very well," Starfire nodded.

Cain said, "Good, because we need Grackle meat. They're usually in Texas this time 'a year."

"Excuse my asking, but what is a 'grackle'?"

"You know what a Great-tailed Grackle is?" Cain asked.

Starfire said, questioningly, "A blue/black bird, correct?"

In a second Cain's finger was in front of Starfire's face and he said, "No!" Putting it down he said, "Those are males - we need a female one."

"So, brown?" Starfire asked.

Cain nodded and Starfire left for Texas.

As she did, Kid Flash came back with a flower and asked, "Good?"

Sighing, Cain said, "That flower's red."

"So?" Flash shrugged.

"You need a _pink_ Venezuelan flower- red _pistol_."

Flash sighed angrily and zipped off again.

Cyborg stepped next to Cain and asked, "Anything else we can get?"

"Yeah," Cain turned towards him, "My chips are running low."

"…" Cyborg stared at him, clearly not amused.

After a minute, Cain smiled brightly. "Please?" he asked.

Without saying anything, Cyborg snatched the bag from him and disappeared into the kitchen.

Sara asked him, "No, really. What are the other ingredients?"

Flash came back with a flower and before he could say anything, Cain told him, "That's _too_ pink."

Kid Flash's hand started to shake and he said, "I want to shoot you…" before zooming off again.

Cain turned toward Raven. "Is your boy allergic to coconut?"

"Um… No…?"

"Good, because I'm going to need a pint of it's milk, and the fruit itself - _separate_ from each other."

"On it." Sara grabbed her phone and headed out the door, dialing someone's number.

Raven turned to Cain as he asked, "So… Think you can find lava rocks on short notice?"

Smirking, Raven opened a portal below her and before disappearing through it, said, "I think I can manage."

With all of the Titans finding all of the necessary ingredients, Cain sighed with relief and fell back onto the couch. He looked around the room one more time before resting his eyes.

Before he knew it, he had already fallen into a deep sleep.

* * *

As if in a trance, his blue eyes lay behind heavy eyelids. His sleepy head rested on his folded arm, which resided on the arm of the couch. Shaggy black hair drooped down into his face, creating a new, boyish look that no one had seen before. He breathed slowly, inhaling deeply after exhaling steadily. The beauty of his arrangement would melt even an ice king's hea-

"Gah!"

Cain fell to the floor and landed square on his back, which now arched in pain as he tried to soothe it. Getting up, he yelled at whoever woke him up. "What was that for!?"

He fell silent when he realized he was yelling at Raven, whose tilted head indicated _she_ was the dominant one in the relationship. "Come again?" she said.

Groaning to himself, Cain rubbed his calloused hands over his face. "What time is it?"

"Three twenty-four," Raven answered, "And why were you sleeping on the couch when you've got a potion to make?"

"Oh. Right." Reluctantly, Cain got up from his spot on the floor - with a little help from Raven - and went into the kitchen, where the other Titans were assembled.

Cain sighed and said to himself, "Alright," before grabbing each of the ingredients. "Ven. flower…" He ripped off the petals and put them into a crockpot individually, one after another. Then, he added the nectar from the pistol. "Next," he mumbled, "The bird…" In went the female Grackle. He kept mumbling to himself as he hoisted the pot onto a rack and put the lava rocks underneath it. With a few snaps of his digits, a bright blue flame emitted off of his index finger, indicating it caught on fire.

"Woah!" Cyborg said, "You're going to _burn_ all of this!?"

"No!" Cain retorted, "The antidote has to simmer on the lava rocks Raven got - they give off a smoking sizzle that helps with recoveries and revivals."

With those words, Cain moved his hand to the rocks and they quickly caught flame, heating the mixture.

After a couple of minutes, Cain grabbed the coconut Sara found and opened it. Everyone's jaws practically fell to the floor when he drank _all_ of the milk from the fruit.

Sara asked him, furiously, "If you didn't need the coconut, then why did you have me get it!?"

Cain held up his finger. "I never said I needed the _milk._ Just the fruit." After earning a few disapproving stares, Cain said defensively, "I was thirsty, okay!"

He sighed and grumbled, "Whatever," as he tossed the entire remaining coconut into the pot.

"Now what…?" Robin asked.

Cain shrugged. "We have to let it simmer for a little while before adding in my blood or else it won't work."

Overexaggerating his words, Cain said, excited as a child, "Now, we wait."

"…"

* * *

Within ten minutes, the gang was passed out, sound asleep, resting in their own awkward stances.


	28. Wake Up, Teen Titans!

**Hey everyone! I just wanted to appologize for my mistake again, and I really hope you read "The Three Rules" - I'm really sorry I uploaded these chapters before posting that chapter** **.**

 **That said, Enjoy!**

* * *

Birds chirped outside of the Tower, the sun shining through the windows, casting a peaceful glow across the sleeping Titans' faces. They had all remained where they fell asleep the previous night.

Cyborg's arm was straight up residing on the kitchen bar, not holding his head which rested there hours before. His head was now face down on the counter, his eyes shut gently from the night before. Starfire was a little more comfortable, seeing as how she curled into a ball in the corner where the countertops connected. Her eyes, too, were shut and her breathing was slow. Sara, on the other hand, was breathing quite rapidly for someone who was supposed to be asleep. She was currently having a nightmare - one she wished wasn't real. It didn't take long after until she woke up with a jolt, holding her chest.

 _As if_ that would calm her racing heart and un-oxygenated lungs.

When she calmed down enough, she scanned her surroundings and realized she was in the Tower. But what caught her attention was that someone was missing from their position they fell asleep in. Raven was nowhere to be found.

"Morning."

It wasn't until she looked towards the stove did she find her teammate, pouring boiling water into a mug. "Hi…" she breathed, now starting to relax again.

"You were tossing and turning on the couch almost all night," Raven commented before drinking her fresh tea. She asked her, "Are you ok?"

Nodding slowly, Sara told her, "Yeah… Yeah, just. Bad dream."

Raven offered, "Want to talk about it?"

Picking her head up to meet the sorceress, Sara smiled and said, "I would… But I wouldn't want Cain to hear."

"Why would Cain…?-"

" _ **Achoo!"**_

Raven turned around to Cain - with his head up, his fist covering his nose - just in time to hear him try to sniffle away his sneeze. He smiled at them and gave a light, nervous chuckle from his position on the island in the kitchen. He said, "Allergy season, am I right?"

Seeing the two of their blank stares, all he could do was sniffle in response.

"If you were up," Raven started, "Why didn't you just tell us?"

Cain's face dropped and he claimed, "I thought it was just getting good - I wanted to hear Sara's nightmare."

This caused her to scowl. "What's it to _you?"_ Sara asked.

Cain leaned his head on his palm, resting his elbow on the countertop and said innocently, "Just trying to be a good friend to my new daughter-in-law."

Sara's eye twitched and she growled, "Shut up," just before a big gust of wind knocked Cain's unbalanced position off of the island.

"Augh…!" Cain fell flatly onto his back and shut his blue eyes, hoping it would stop the pain from arising.

The thud had startled Kid Flash, who had been lying on the floor in the corner next to the refrigerator. His hands pushed against the floor, which forced him to sit up straight. He rubbed his eyes as if it would rid himself of his drowsy appearance. He arched his back and stretched his arms over his head. Scratching his cheek, he turned his head to see two beady eyes staring a hole right through him.

" **Ah!** "

He jumped and felt trapped when his back hit the fridge.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed the beady eyes were on Cain's pained face, and held his heart, which was beating uncontrollably.

"Cain…" he started, "Man. You could give a guy a heart attack in a second with that scary face of yours."

Smiling brightly - yet sarcastically - Cain asked, "Do you want a real one?"

Chuckling dryly, Flash smiled and said, "Thanks, but, I think I'll pass."

Cain shrugged. Soon thereafter, Kid Flash stood up and stretched once more. Hearing his vertebrae realign with every creak, he sighed out of relief. Turning his head to the living room, he saw Raven and Sara's blank faces staring right back at him. They weren't too happy about hearing his scream, since it startled them both.

He gave a meek smile in return. "Oh, those demons… Always, falling off of, countertops and such," he trailed off.

Raven rolled her eyes and turned back to the newest addition to the team. "So, do you want to be the one to do it?"

Sara raised her hand and said, "It would be my _honor."_

The boys gave a confused look as Sara got up from the couch, making her way over to them. No sooner than she stopped did she take Cain's hand.

"What are you-?"

Cutting him off short, Sara _bit_ the knuckle on Cain's thumb that connected it to his hand.

" …! OoooOoWwWaAA!" he yelled, startling Kid Flash.

His scream alerted the leader that someone was in pain, causing him to rise quickly and draw his bo staff. "What's wrong…!?" Robin asked, still not yet fully awake. Shortly thereafter - since his legs weren't at their best, having just woke up and all - his weight was too much for them to handle, and his knees collapsed in on themselves.

Another thud echoed in the Tower.

"…" Cyborg awoke with his final, loud snore, and his head lifted, his eyes opening/glowing. "I'm up," he said, seeing Robin's bo staff infront of him. Stretching excitedly, he said, "I'm up- I wasn't sleeping- and I'm ready for training!" His fake smiled fell short when he finally realized his leader was on the ground, grabbing the chair, attempting to stand up. "Uh…" he smiled sincerely and asked, "Want a hand?"

Reluctantly, Robin took Cyborg's extended arm and his feet were now steady. Brushing himself off, he turned to Cain and asked, annoyed, "Something's wrong, I take it?"

Cain motioned to Sara with his hand and said angrily, "She **BIT** me-! Of _course_ there's something wrong!"

"Relax," Sara said, shrugging his comment off, "I didn't bite _that_ hard."

"So you admit it!" Cain pointed an accusing finger at her. "You see, Robin?" he asked, "The demon said it herself!"

Raven rolled her eyes. "As if _you_ \- of all people - could be calling another a 'demon'."

Giving her a dirty look, he retorted, "Like you're one to talk."

"Hey, hey!" Kid Flash said, snapping his fingers. After gaining everyone's attention, he continued, "I think we're all missing the big picture here."

Everyone looked at him like he was crazy. He sighed, saying, "Beast Boy?"

"Oh, right, right," Cain said, not very enthusiastically.

Cyborg nudged Sara's elbow and said, "And he wonders why you bit him."

After Sara snickered and brought her hand to her mouth, Cain groaned. He trudged over to the kitchen stove - which read the time _10:23 A.M._ Reluctantly, and obviously annoyed, he grabbed the bag with his blood in it. After looking at it for a second, he shrugged, and put his hand above the pot of ingredients. Shaking his bleeding hand, three droplets spilled from his wound, falling directly into the pan. Shortly thereafter, the Shinigami's blood fused with the concoction, tinting the light, beige brew to a deep, dark, crimson red. With a _*poof*_ a puff of smoke rose up from in the depths of the pot and the room darkened over.

A large electric blue square was formed out of the smoke, containing two circles - and thirteen different markings in between them. The Titans stared, mystified by the magical scene they were witnessing.

As Raven looked over to her partner-in-magic, she saw a bright, sly smile of his face.

Once the smoke cleared, the room returned to its natural lighting, and the concoction turned crystal clear. Cain dumped the transparent liquid into a small test tube, sealing it with a cork. Turning to Robin, he smiled and said, "Drop this into his IV bag and he'll be as good as new!"

Taking the vile, Robin said, "Thank you, Cain." When Cain nodded as if accepting it blankly, Robin put his hand on his shoulder. He stared at him and said, more seriously and sincere, "I mean it… You really helped the team out here."

This time, Cain's face turned a little bit less juvenile and he nodded once more, now sporting an adult-like face. Robin patted his shoulder lightly before leaving the room, heading towards the infirmary.

Cyborg sheepishly worked his way over to where Cain was standing. He scooted a little closer and asked, "So…" Cain turned towards him and he continued hopefully, upon grabbing his attention, "BB's gonna be back to normal soon, right?"

A light smile worked its way to Cain's face. He nodded, "Yeah. The little guy should be up and running before Friday."

Kid Flash interrupted his explanation and said, "Wait wait wait. Friday?!" Cain nodded and Flash shook his head. "Nonono, that won't do. We were supposed to go to Keystone City _yesterday_ , we can't wait another 24 hours - another murder could happen!"

Starfire nodded. "We did say we would help you catch your criminal, did we not…?"

Sara crossed her arms and closed her eyes in agreement. "And the thought of having another innocent person die is pretty bad."

Kid Flash smiled and nodded, "Couldn't of said so better myself!"

Cyborg said worriedly, "But if we all leave, the Tower, all of Jump, _and_ Beast Boy would be left unattended!"

After putting his hand on his chin, Cain thought for a moment before a bright smile lit up his face. He snapped his fingers and pointed to someone. "Raven can keep watch, can't she?"

"…" Her stoic expression remained on her face as she blinked. "What…?"

"Yeah," Cain explained, "If Raven stayed here whilst we went to Keystone, the Tower would be kept safe, you could call us if there's too much trouble to handle, and Beast Boy would have a caretaker he could trust until he wakes up."

From underneath her hood Raven saw the sly smirk on Cain's face - though no one else would have called it "evil".

Sara nodded in agreement. "Cain _does_ have a point."

Smiling, Cain hooked his arm around her shoulder and said sweetly, "Aww… Thanks, princess." Soon thereafter, Sara returned a warm smile.

"Augh…!"

She had set her shoulder a little burst of fire power and Cain was in direct contact with it. He released her shoulder and blew on his hand. Sarcastically he commented, "Talk about being hot headed over a joke…"

Sara smiled warmly at him and said, "Aww… You think I'm hot."

Cain's expression was a mocking one and Starfire interrupted their quarrelling. "So, we shall all depart for the City of Stone Keys, now…?"

Kid Flash arrogantly said, "Race ya!"

Before Cyborg could protest, he had already left instantly and a cloud of dust was the only thing left from his figure. He let out a sigh and turned to the gang. He said, "I guess I'll go start the T-Car…"

Dragging his feet along the way, Cyborg reluctantly walked towards the garage.

Starfire smiled and said brightly, "I will be in the garage as well!" before zipping away to the elevator.

After she left, Sara motioned to the hallway and said, "I'll meet you guys there, I'm just going to grab my boots first."

Raven nodded and watched Sara leave, now completely out of earshot - and out of sight. She turned to Cain and glared at him. "'Caretaker he can trust'?" she said, repeating his earlier words.

Another famous Cain smirk printed onto his face. He told her, "Am I wrong? You went through hell and back to revive him from whatever trans he's in right now." Grinning, he finished, "I'd trust you."

Raven stepped towards him and said, "You really shouldn't-"

"Hey…?"

The quarreling two turned their heads to the hallway to find Robin standing there. Scratching his head, he asked, "Where is everyone?"

Cain smiled toothily and told him, "Pack your sunblock 'cause you guys are going to Keystone City!"

Robin's eyes grew from behind his mask and he asked, "Right now!?"

Nodding, Cain claimed, "Right now, birdboy!"

Ignoring the Shinigami's last comment, Robin hurried off towards his room, wanting to be prepared for whatever was to come next.

Cain's arrogant chuckle was interrupted by Raven, who forced his head to turn to her. She glared at him, saying, "Expect all hell to break loose on your face when you come back."

Cringing, he gasped and said, "Not my moneymaker!"

After letting go of his chin - rather harshly, to be honest - Raven gave one final glare before disappearing down the hallway.

Rolling his eyes as she left, Cain told himself, "Oy vey."


	29. How To Catch a Killer

It was a sunny day like no other in Keystone City. The sky seemed bluer and the city streets quieter. It was also quiet inside Keystone City's Police Department building, where a very important meeting was taking place.

Finally. Keystone was going to catch their serial killer.

Inside, the Teen Titans were all standing in front of a big white board - filled with names, photos, and other information about the victims. They were going over the data with a detective named Jason Beckstead - the department's best of the best. Surprisingly, he had joined the police force when he was but a young sophomore in high school, since, he graduated early and all.

"Beth Rushford, Angelica Rayome, Eddie Scott, Gertrude Morrison, and Ivy Newman!" the lead detective, Jason, boomed. He dropped his files onto his desk, his palms flat on its wooden surface. He looked up and asked the fresh pairs of eyes, "What's their reason for being a victim of a vicious psychopath?"

Sara was the first to speak up from the group. She told him, her hand to her chin, "Well, based off of their files we know it's not their gender or religion."

Starfire added from her seat in front of the board, "And it is not their age, either."

Squinting at the board, Cyborg asked, "Did these guys share _anything?_ Their Social Security digits are different, none of them share last names or family members, and none of 'em are a specific type of person!"

"You're right," Cain said, skimming through all of the files. "Eddie Scott was a 27 year old construction worker with no family, meanwhile, Beth was an Ace in her Graduating Class, both her brothers are saints, and her fiance's record is like a blank canvas!" He teetered as he skimmed the another's. "She's the complete opposite of Ivy, whose family was falling apart at the seams."

Cyborg looked over his shoulder and said, "Her mom died when she was _13?"_

Cain nodded, "That was almost _nine_ years ago - and her dad committed suicide two years ago. Right before she entered college."

Robin stared at the board.

Kid Flash joined the two in looking at the victim's profiles and pointed to one. "Wait," he said, "It says here that Angelica picked up a music guy a couple photoshoots ago."

Jason nodded. Bringing up her boyfriend on the monitor, he said, "His name was Thomas Hart. They met six months ago when our model was in Hawaii. He's the lead chair in his mentor's string orchestra, and he's currently studying at the best music school in the country."

Advancing a slide, the screen displayed his driver's license, phone number calling list, and other forms to ID him. Jason sighed, saying, "We brought Thomas in yesterday for questioning and he had a clean alibi." Turning to the others he said, "It was a dead end."

The Titans heard a _*click*_ and their head turned back to the screen. They were staring at a different picture of a different guy.

Jason told them, "We also checked out Beth's groom-to-be, seeing as how he was our first suspect on the first case, and he was a dead end, too."

Starfire asked, "And as for Ivy Newman's B-F-F…?"

Wearing a grim expression, Jason said, "They were all dead ends. Every single person connected to each of our victims held no information of where they disappeared, when, why- or even how."

The young detective looked to the crime-fighters and held his breath for a little while before sighing. "This is a cold-hearted psychopath who knows how to cover his tracks. No evidence left behind. Not a hair, drop of blood, fingerprint - not even a murder weapon was left behind at any of the scenes. Just each victim's body."

Robin stared at the board.

It intrigued Starfire seeing as how Robin hadn't spoke one word since they got there.

Turning to him, Star asked, "Robin? Whom do you presume the culprit is?"

It shocked everyone when he narrowed his eyes and said after a while, "… I don't know."

Cain gave a tiny chuckle. "Birdboy doesn't know?" Turning to Jason he said seriously, "You're on your own, 'kid detective'."

With that, he pushed the files onto Jason's chest, who reluctantly took them.

Robin grabbed Cain's arm as he tried to walk out the door past him. He said, still staring at the board, "I don't know who did it… But I know someone who could help us…"

Confused, Cain asked, "What?"

Turning to him, the Boy Wonder said, "To catch a S-Class, psychotic supervillain…" He tilted his head, smiled, and continued, "You have to _think_ like an S-Class, psychotic supervillain."

Cain raised an eyebrow at the leader's choice of words, curious as to where this was headed.

* * *

"And they lived happily ever after… The end…"

Sigh.

Raven was reading every children's book she owned to the unconscious Beast Boy. It was already three in the afternoon and they hadn't returned.

She looked around. "What's next…?"

She had already read Beast Boy "The Princess and the Frog", "Cinderella", "Rapunzel", and "Little Red Riding Hood". All classics she thought someone like him would enjoy - _if,_ he were awake. The next book in her extremely long pile of books she rented from the library was titled "Sleeping Beauty".

Raven gave a sarcastic smirk and said, "Ironic, huh?" Looking over at the unconscious green teen, she tilted her head.

She had never notice how boyish he looked when he was sleeping.

Sighing internally, she claimed, "People would tend to forget how badly and how constantly you talk when you're sleeping peacefully like that."

He hadn't stirred since Robin dumped the antidote into his IV bag.

" _Is this_ really _working…?"_ Raven thought grimly. She sighed aloud this time and opened the book in her hand.

"Long ago there lived a King and Queen who said every day, 'If only we had a child!'"

* * *

 _Thunk. Thunk. Thunk._

Their boots tapped on the concrete floor.

 _Thunk. Thunk. Thunk._

They passed by the meeting room. The officer's desks.

 _Thunk. Thunk. Thunk._

The people who spoiled her fun.

"Here we are," a male voice called out, stopping in front of a door.

"…" The girl who was following behind him stared at the door. Then him. Then the door again.

"Are you going to open it or what?" she asked.

Glaring at her - even though he knew she was right - he reached for the keys on his belt loop and opened the door for her.

"Thanks…" she said, sarcastically. She walked in.

The interrogation room.

Some of her best friends have sat in the very same seat she was about to. When she had, she looked to the officer who showed her to the room. She cleared her throat and held up her hands.

"Eh hem…" she said, motioning to the power-proof shackles that bound her thin wrists together.

The police officer shook his head and told her, "Not yet."

Before she could protest and ask him what he meant by that, he turned to leave. After a few steps down the hallway, he saw someone walking in his direction. Patting their shoulder, he mumbled, "Good luck, boy."

The teen did nothing but nod and keep walking towards the confining room.

 _*SLAM*_

As soon as he entered the room, the door slammed behind him. He threw five different files on the table at once, each one opening and spreading out as he did so.

Looking at the girl who was sitting across from where he was standing, he put his hands on the desk, leaned in, and asked her, "What's the connection between all of them?"

She looked up from the files on the table and told him, "Give me a minute, alright? I haven't even _looked_ at them all yet."

"We don't have a minute," the boy said, "Another innocent person could die within your 'minute'."

The girl glared at him. "Look. I didn't _do_ anything, k? I don't have to help you - and frankly - I didn't want to."

"Come on," the boy scoffed, "You need a reduced sentence more than anyone."

Turning her head away from him, the ex-con claimed, "I don't see anything wrong with what I did."

Robin crossed his arms and said, "You destroyed City Hall."

With a scoff and a flick of her pink hair, the girl turned back to the Titan's leader and said, "Please. I did _more_ than destroy it."

When she saw Robin raise his eyebrow, she slumped back in her seat. "Okay, so you may have a point…"

"I do." Robin leaned forward, "So read the files, give your opinion, and wait for us to tell you the results of your find, Jinx."

She let another scoff escape her lips. "Tell you what I think, sit back, relax, and count the days falling off my record?" Putting her cuffed hands behind her head, Jinx put her feet on the desk and said, "Can do, pretty boy."

It didn't take Robin five seconds to shove her boots to the ground.

"Ugh…!"

The sound of the metal chair clanking on the floor again echoed and Robin told her, getting close to her face, "You're going to stay here until this dirtbag is caught. Otherwise," he said, his eyes narrowing, "You get _nothing_ in return."

"…" Jinx glared at him.

"So I suggest you take a better look at those files," Robin said, " _Quickly_."

Reluctantly, Jinx sat up straight in her seat. She opened the first file.

" _Beth Rushford. Time of death: Midnight…"_ she thought, skimming over the file. " _Twenty five years old… Two other brothers, middle child… Has an almost two years fianc_ _é_ …" Unconsciously, Jinx's eyes squinted. " _She's_ completely _innocent…"_

It didn't take long for her to draw a question mark as to why Beth was killed. So, she did the only thing she could do. Move on to the next file.

" _Eddie Scott, construction worker, no blood related family left… Time of death: 3:00 A.M."_

Then the next…

" _Ivy Newman, college sophomore… 6:00 A.M."_

Then the next.

" _Gertrude… Teacher… 9 A.M."_

And the next.

" _Angelica… Noon."_

Jinx didn't say anything as she read the files, just an occasional twitch of her eyebrow, or scoff under her breath. Once she was done, she quietly laid the files back into a neat pile on the table and stared at the man in front of her.

"Well?" Robin asked.

Jinx smiled, and although it looked to be a sweet, soft, kind-hearted smile, the words that came out of her mouth next completely contradicted the warm feeling she originally gave off.

"This guy has _no_ motives for killing _any_ of the victims. He kills just for the sake of killing."

Robin's face darkened over as she said, "He's an untraceable, cold-hearted murderer."

As Robin clenched his teeth, knowing very well she was probably right, she smiled again and said, " _That's_ my opinion."

After a resonating "Tch!" echoed in the room, Robin grabbed the files and flung open the interrogation room door, storming out of it.

* * *

On the other side of the glass, a usually goofy personnel wore an uncharacteristically serious expression. He watched and saw the pink haired vixen smirk with satisfaction at the Titans leader's departure.

"Hm…"

* * *

Outside in the hallway, Robin met another police officer hastily walking towards him.

Panic seeping into his voice, the detective said, "There's been another one."

"What?" Robin asked.

The two started filling each other in on what they uncovered as they marched down the hall together, passing by a clock that read 3:00.

* * *

Red. That was all he could see out of an electric haze.

The person in front of him?

Dead.

Ice cold dead.

Heart stopped beating, since when?

Since when…

Since when did he turn into a cold blooded killer?

Can he control himself?

No.

But someone else can.

Red. Deep, dark, crimson red.

Goodbye, Austin.

* * *

 **I hope everyone had an amazing Valentine's Day!**

 **I'm really glad that so many of you enjoy reading my work. It really means a lot to me. So thank you for your support! \ ^.^ /**

 **Lots of virtual hugs go out to you guys! Thanks for reading.**


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